Top 10 Best Looking Indian Rupee Note Designs

The Indian rupee is the official currency of India. Since its independence in 1947, India has had various interesting designs of its currency. They can be broadly classified into the early and later Lion Capital/Ashoka Pillar series (prior to 1996) which bear the Lion Capital emblem at the front, the Mahatma Gandhi series (1997-2016) which replaced the Ashoka Pillar with the image of Gandhi and had a premium look and feel, and the Mahatma Gandhi New Series (2016 onwards) which have the quality, look and feel of coupons.

Vote for your favorite Indian Rupee notes. You may vote based on the notes' design, color, feel, durability, texture, nostalgia, and anything else you like.

The Top Ten

10 Rupee Note - Lion Capital Series

This orange and green beauty was used for a short period between 1992-1996 but carries a lot of nostalgia for us 90s kids. The RBI already planned the Mahatma Gandhi Series, but full replacement would take years. So the ₹10 note received a final refinement to keep it secure during the transition. For a low denomination note, it looked really good.
50 Rupee Note - Lion Capital Series

Beautiful purple hues on both sides and brownish in the middle, this 50 Rupee note was another beautiful design.
1000 Rupee Note - Mahatma Gandhi Series

It was the granddaddy of all notes. This red/pink masterpiece felt majestic in looks and touch. It was the most perfect note made by the RBI.
100 Rupee Note - Mahatma Gandhi Series

This blue-gray note is definitely the most-used note of our lifetimes thus far. But it was such a classic note that it never felt dated.
20 Rupee Note - Lion Capital Series II (1978-1998)

Some may feel there is too much red in this and prefer the MG Series 20 Rupee note, which is neater, but one can't argue that the design of every LC Series note was distinct and didn't look formulaic.
20 Rupee Note - Mahatma Gandhi Series
500 Rupee Note - Mahatma Gandhi Series (2000-2016)

The 500 Rupee note looked and felt more premium once its colour was changed from blue-gray to green.
50 Rupee Note - Mahatma Gandhi New Series

This light blue note is the only note from the Mahatma Gandhi New Series that looks good. The rest are trash.
50 Rupee Note - Mahatma Gandhi Series

The purple 50 Rupee note was another classic, just like the 100 Rupee note.
20 Rupee Note - Lion Capital Series I (1969-1978)

It is a very vintage design and has a notable orange tone to it.