NOONANS to sell rare indian banknotes recovered from a shipwreck

Two 10-rupee banknotes that were recovered from the wreck of the SS Shirala, which was sunk by a German U-boat on 2 July 1918 will be offered at Noonans Mayfair on Wednesday, May 29, 2024, in a sale of World Banknotes.  They are each estimated to fetch £2,000-2,600. 

As Thomasina Smith, Worldwide Head of Numismatics at Noonans, explained: “Whole blocks of these notes, along with lots of provisions ranging from marmalade to ammunition, were on their way to Bombay from London when the boat was sunk by a German U-Boat. Many notes floated to shore, including unsigned 5 and 10 Rupees, and signed 1 Rupees (one of which also features in this auction). Most were recovered and subsequently destroyed by the authorities and new ones were printed to replace them, however a very few examples remained in private hands.”

She continues: “I have never seen notes like these before – and these only came to light after the Bank of England mentioned about the shipwreck on social media. These are in very good condition – they must have been in the middle of a tightly bound bundle, so didn’t make contact with the sea. It’s also wonderful that they bear consecutive serial numbers.”