Mauritian rupee
Mauritian rupee | |||||
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Roupie mauricienne (French) Rupi morisien (Morisien) மொரீசியஸ் ரூபாய் (Tamil) मॉरिशियाई रुपया (Bhojpuri-Hindi) | |||||
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ISO 4217 | |||||
Code | MUR | ||||
Denominations | |||||
Subunit | |||||
1/100 | cent | ||||
Symbol | ₨. /-[1] | ||||
cent | ¢ | ||||
Banknotes | ₨.25/-, ₨.50/-, ₨.100/-, ₨.200/-, ₨.500/-, ₨.1,000/-, ₨.2,000/- | ||||
Coins | 5¢, 20¢, 50¢, ₨.1/-, ₨.5/-, ₨.10/-, ₨.20/- | ||||
Demographics | |||||
User(s) | Mauritius | ||||
Issuance | |||||
Central bank | Bank of Mauritius | ||||
Website | www | ||||
Valuation | |||||
Inflation | 3.6% | ||||
Source | Bank in Mauritius, April 2013 est. |
The Mauritian rupee (sign: ₨; code: MUR; pronounced [ʁupi]) is the currency of Mauritius. One rupee is subdivided into 100 cents. Several other currencies are also called rupee.
Coins[]
In 1877, coins for 1, 2, 5, 10 and 20 cents were introduced, with the lower three denominations in copper and the higher two in silver. Coin production ceased in 1899 and did not recommence until 1911, with silver coins not produced again until 1934, when ₨.¼/-, ₨.½/- and ₨.1/- coins were introduced. In 1947, cupro-nickel 10 cents were introduced, with cupro-nickel replacing silver in 1950.
In 1971 a new set of coins and banknotes were introduced by the Royal Mint. This set has Queen Elizabeth II on the obverse and a range of heraldic motives on the reverse. Some of the reverse designs for this set were designed by Christopher Ironside OBE including the ₨.10/-, ₨.200/- and ₨.250/- (issued 1988).
In 1987, a new series of coins was introduced which, for the first time, did not feature the portrait of the monarch (Mauritius did not become a republic until 1992) but that of Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam. This coinage consisted of copper-plated-steel 1¢ and 5¢ (the 5¢ was substantially reduced in size), nickel-plated-steel 20¢ and ₨.½/-, and cupro-nickel ₨.1/- and ₨.5/-. Cupro-nickel ₨.10/- were introduced in 1997. Coins currently in circulation are the 5¢, 20¢, ₨.½/-, ₨.1/-, ₨.5/-, ₨.10/- and ₨.20/-. Coins below ₨.1/- in value are generally regarded as "supermarket" small-change. The 1¢ coin has not been seen in circulation for many years, and the last series of 1 cent coins issued in 1987 are only seen as collectors' items.
In 2007, a bi-metallic ₨.20/- coin was issued to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Bank of Mauritius, and this has now become a coin in general circulation.
Current Mauritian rupee coins | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Image | Value | Composition | Diameter | Weight | Thickness | Edge | Issued |
1¢ | Copper-plated steel | 17.8 mm | 2 g | 1.27 mm | Smooth | 1987 | |
5¢ | Copper-plated steel | 20 mm | 3 g | 1.5 mm | Smooth | 1987-2017 | |
20¢ | Nickel-plated steel | 19 mm | 3 g | 1.65 mm | Reeded | 1987-2016 | |
50¢ | Nickel-plated steel | 23.6 mm | 5.83 g | 2 mm | Reeded | 1987-2016 | |
₨.1/- | Copper-nickel | 26.5 mm | 7.45 g | 1.8 mm | Reeded | 1987-2010 | |
₨.1/- | Nickel-plated steel | 26.6 mm | 7.5 g | 2.2 mm | Reeded | 2012-2016 | |
₨.5/- | Copper-nickel | 31 mm | 12.62 g | 2.36 mm | Security | 1987-2010 | |
₨.5/- | Nickel-plated steel | 31 mm | 12.55 g | 2.8 mm | Security | 2012-2018 | |
₨.10/- | Copper-nickel | 27.5 mm (heptagonal) | 5.83 g | 2.2 mm | Smooth | 1997-2000 | |
₨.10/- | Nickel-plated steel | 28 mm (heptagonal) | 8.5 g | 2 mm | Smooth | 1987-2016 | |
₨.20/- | Bi-metallic; copper-nickel center in nickel-brass ring | 28 mm | 10 g | Reeded | 2007 |
Banknotes[]
The first banknotes were issued by the government dated 1876 in denominations of ₨.5/-, ₨.10/- and ₨.50/-. ₨.1/- banknotes were added in 1919. In 1940, emergency issues were made of 25¢ and 50¢ and ₨.1/-. In 1954, ₨.25/- and ₨.1,000/- were introduced.
The Bank of Mauritius was established in September 1967 as the nation's central bank and has been responsible for the issue of banknotes and coins since that time.[2] The bank issued its first notes in 1967, comprising four denominations: ₨.5/-, ₨.10/-, ₨.25/-, and ₨.50/-, all undated and featuring a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II on the obverse. Over the years, some denominations were revised with new signatures of the Bank's Governor and Managing Director but were otherwise unchanged.
1967 "Elizabeth II" Issue | |||
---|---|---|---|
Image | Denomination | Obverse | Reverse |
[1] | ₨.5/- | Queen Elizabeth II | Monument marking the landing of the Dutch at the bay of Grand Port (1598), sailing boat |
₨.10/- | Government House, Port Louis | ||
[2] | ₨.25/- | Bullock cart | |
₨.50/- | Port Louis Harbour |
In 1985, the Bank of Mauritius issued a completely new set of banknotes of ₨.5/-, ₨.10/-, ₨.20/-, ₨.50/-, ₨.100/-, ₨.200/-, ₨.500/- and ₨.1,000/-. A close study of these banknotes reveals an interesting array of subsets which were printed by two banknote printing companies (Bradbury Wilkinson and Thomas de La Rue). The banknotes were also designed at different time periods as there are very few identical and consistent design features appearing on all the denominations. Varying banknote numbering systems, different types of security threads, variations in the design and size of the Mauritian Coat of Arms, different ultraviolet light latent printing, inconsistent variations in the size incrementation between the denominations and multiple different typesets are just a few of the differences. This issue lasted up to 1998.
In 1998, The Bank of Mauritius made a new issue of banknotes consisting of 7 denominations, viz. ₨.25/-, ₨.50/-, ₨.100/-, ₨.200/-, ₨.500/-, ₨.1,000/- and ₨.2,000/-. These banknotes had a standard format and were all issued simultaneously in November 1998. All the banknotes of this issue were printed in England by Thomas de la Rue Limited. These first banknotes were withdrawn from circulation in June 1999 following controversies due to the ordering of the text (English, Sanskrit, Tamil) while the population of Mauritius was mostly Tamil.
The Bank of Mauritius made its latest issue of banknotes, which is still current, after June 1999.
Currently circulating banknotes[]
Obverse designs[]
Each denomination bears a hand engraved portrait of a prominent Mauritian figure, which appears on the left.
Denomination | Portrait | Vignette |
---|---|---|
₨.25/- | Moilin Jean Ah-Chuen | Rodrigues |
₨.50/- | Le Caudan | |
₨.100/- | Renganaden Seeneevassen | Court House |
₨.200/- | Sir Abdool Razack Mohamed | Mauritian Market |
₨.500/- | Sookdeo Bissoondoyal | University of Mauritius |
₨.1,000/- | Sir Charles Gaëtan Duval | State House |
₨.2,000/- | Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam | Bull & Sugarcane Cart |
The top of the note says "Bank of Mauritius". The portrait is toward the center-left of the note and below the portrait is the name of the person in the portrait and their year of birth to year of death. On the bottom-left is the coat of arms of Mauritius. There is also a drawing of the Bank of Mauritius building and a portrayal of the statue of justice in the background of each of the denominations in the centre of the note. The value of the note is in the top-right corner with the "₨" symbol in front the value. Below the value in the top-right corner is a feature to aid the visually impaired. This is in addition to the differences in sizes between the banknotes of various denominations. The left side of the note says the numerical value of the note, with the "₨" symbol to the left of the value, written sideways left-faced up. On top of the numerical value on the left side is the serial number of the note. The serial number is also on the centre-right of the note. On the top-center of the note is states "This Note Is Legal Tender For", then it states the note's value written out in English (ex: "One Hundred"), and below that it says "Rupees". Below that it says the value of the note in Tamil, and below that it says the value of the note in Bhojpuri-Hindi. Below that is the signature of the and next to that is the signature of the Managing Director, or it could have the signatures of the First Deputy Governor, then the Governor, then the Second Deputy Governor. Below that is the year the note was printed.
Reverse Designs[]
The top left of the note on the reverse says "Bank of Mauritius". The left side of the note says the numerical value of the note, with the "₨" symbol to the left of the value, written sideways left-faced up. The top right of the note has the numerical value of the note with the "₨" symbol to the left of the value. Each denomination carries a different vignette, depicting various aspects of Mauritius. The Bhojpuri-Hindi value of the note can be found on the left side of the bottom of the vignette, with the Bhojpuri-Hindi abbreviation of rupee, "रु" ("ru") in front of the value. The Tamil and Gujarati numerical value of the note can be found on the right side of the bottom of the vignette. The Tamil value is above the Gujarati value.[3]
Features for authenticity verification[]
- The feel of banknote's paper
- Three-dimensional watermark in the form of a dodo: When held up to the light the head of the dodo can be clearly viewed.
- See-through in the form of a conch shell: this image completes when viewed against direct light.
- Windowed security thread reading "Bank of Mauritius" when held up to the light, this can be seen as a continuous band running through the paper. Viewed flat, the metallic areas can be seen on the surface of the paper.
- Engraved Portrait in Intaglio ink.
- Latent image: when viewed at eye level, the image of "BM" becomes visible.
- Micro-text reading "BM": under a magnifying glass, these letters are clear to see.
- Under ultra-violet light: figures corresponding to the face value of the banknote become apparent.
₨.100/-, ₨.200/-, ₨.500/-, ₨.1,000/-, ₨.2,000/- banknotes
Iridescent band in gold: when held under the light, this band visualizes and disappears when the viewing angle is changed.
₨.100/-, ₨.200/- banknotes
Silver metallic ink: dull silver metallic band running from top to bottom on front, left of note. Metallic strip also beneath top right value numeral.
₨.500/-, ₨.1,000/- banknotes
Silver Foil: two different images, value numeral or geometric shape, can be seen when viewed from different angles.
₨.2,000/- banknote
Hologram containing images of the dodo and the value "2000"
₨.200/-, ₨.500/-, ₨.1,000/- banknotes
Hologram containing images of the dodo and the denomination on the ₨.200/- banknote, a deer and the denomination on the ₨.500/- banknote and the Bank of Mauritius tower and the denomination on the ₨.1,000/- banknote.[4]
₨.25/-, ₨.50/-, ₨.500/- banknotes
Revised security features and the change of material from paper to polymer.[5][6]
₨.2,000/- banknote Revised security features and the change of material from paper to polymer.[7]
Commemorative coins[]
Value | Composition and finish | Mass | Diameter | Issue date | Commemorative subject |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
₨.25/- | Silver non-proof | 38.61 g | 38.61 mm | April 1978 | 10th anniversary of the independence of Mauritius |
₨.20/- | Silver proof | 28.28 g | 38.61 mm | May 1998 | 50th anniversary of the wedding of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip |
₨.1,000/- | Gold proof | 17 g | 31.00 mm | January 2000 | 150th anniversary of the setting up of the Mauritius Chamber of Commerce & Industry |
₨.10/- | Silver proof | 28.28 g | 38.60 mm | January 2000 | 150th anniversary of the setting up of the Mauritius Chamber of Commerce & Industry |
₨.100/- | Silver proof | 36.76 g | 44 mm | November 2001 | Centenary of the arrival of Mahatma Gandhi in Mauritius |
Current MUR exchange rates | |
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From Google Finance: | AUD CAD CHF EUR GBP HKD JPY USD |
From Yahoo! Finance: | AUD CAD CHF EUR GBP HKD JPY USD |
From XE.com: | AUD CAD CHF EUR GBP HKD JPY USD |
From OANDA: | AUD CAD CHF EUR GBP HKD JPY USD |
From fxtop.com: | AUD CAD CHF EUR GBP HKD JPY USD |
See also[]
References[]
- ^ Bank of Mauritius Archived 2006-12-28 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ Linzmayer, Owen (2012). "Mauritius". The Banknote Book. San Francisco, CA: www.BanknoteNews.com.
- ^ http://www.crnindia.com/currency/mauritian_rupee.html
- ^ Mauritius new 200-, 500-, and 1,000-rupee banknotes confirmed BanknoteNews.com. December 15, 2011. Retrieved on 2015-02-13.
- ^ Mauritius new 500-rupee polymer notes confirmed BanknoteNews.com. September 29, 2013. Retrieved on 2015-02-13.
- ^ Mauritius new 25- and 50-rupee polymer notes confirmed BanknoteNews.com. September 21, 2013. Retrieved on 2015-02-13.
- ^ Mauritius new 2,000-rupee polymer note (B436a) confirmed Banknote News (banknotenews.com). December 14, 2018. Retrieved on 2019-01-20.
External links[]
Preceded by: Indian rupee, Sterling, Mauritian dollar Ratio: both rupees = MU$0.5 or ₨.10/¼ = £1Stg |
Currency of Mauritius 1877 – |
Succeeded by: Current |
Currency of Seychelles 1877 – 1914 |
Succeeded by: Seychellois rupee Reason: became a separate crown colony in 1903 Ratio: at par |
- ISO 4217
- Rupee
- Currencies of Africa
- Circulating currencies
- Currencies of the British Empire
- Currencies of the Commonwealth of Nations
- Currencies of Mauritius
- Economy of Mauritius
- 1876 introductions