The back of this two-rupee note shows a Bengal tiger, and the choice is deliberate: according to the Reserve Bank of India, the small two- and five-rupee denominations of the early series carried fauna motifs such as the tiger, deer and gazelles.

The front is restrained: the Lion Capital of Ashoka, India’s state emblem taken from the pillar at Sarnath. On the back the tiger stands full length among trees against a mountain backdrop, next to the Reserve Bank emblem and a language panel naming the denomination in the country’s languages.

Notes of this type were printed undated with the signatures of successive governors and with different letters, and the Pick catalogue distinguishes its varieties by them.

For an «animals on banknotes» topical set this is a classic piece with a large tiger, and in an India collection it represents the generation of Lion Capital notes that gave way to the Mahatma Gandhi series in 1996. UNC condition means the note has never circulated: no folds, no wear, no soiling, even corners — just as it left the press.

The VPcoins catalogue includes both modern polymer issues and banknotes of past eras.