Currency Notes with Star (*) Symbol Are Same As Other Legal Banknotes, RBI Clarifies – News18

A currency note with a star (*) symbol is identical to any other legal banknote, the Reserve Bank of India said on Thursday. The RBI’s clarification comes after discussions among social media users over the validity of banknotes with (*) symbol.

“A banknote with a star (*) symbol is identical to any other legal banknote, except that in the number panel a star (*) symbol is added between the prefix and the serial number,” the RBI said in a statement.

It added that the Star (*) symbol is inserted in the number panel of a banknote that is used as a replacement for defectively printed notes in a packet of 100 pieces of serially numbered banknotes.

The central bank said it has come to the notice of the RBI that the validity of banknotes with this symbol present on the number panel has recently been the subject of discussions on some social media platforms.

The RBI clarified that the symbol is an identifier and that it is a replaced/reprinted banknote.

What Is A Start Series Banknote?

According to the RBI, fresh banknotes issued by the Reserve Bank of India till August 2006 were serially numbered. Each of these banknote bears a distinctive serial number along with a prefix consisting of numerals and letter/s. The banknotes are issued in packets containing 100 pieces.

The RBI adopted the “STAR series” numbering system for replacement of defectively printed banknote in a packet of 100 pieces of serially numbered banknotes. The Star series banknotes are exactly similar to the other banknotes, but have an additional character viz., a *(star) in the number panel in the space between the prefix.