Authenticity & Sourcing
This is the page that answers the question people are too polite to ask: is it real?
What "real" means here
Every note we send is an original Indian banknote that genuinely entered circulation.
It is not a reproduction. Not a reprint. Not a novelty note, a commemorative issue struck for collectors, or a modern note aged to look old. It is money that was made, spent by people who never thought about it, and kept by accident.
If we cannot supply that, we supply nothing — and you are not charged.
Matching your date
The notes we deal in carry a full date — day, month and year, not just a year. That is the whole basis of what we sell, and it is what we check first.
We match all three against the date you gave us. Not the month. Not the year. The day itself. A note that is one day out is not a near-miss we will quietly send you — it is a different note, and it is rejected.
If we cannot find a note bearing your exact date, the request is marked Not Available and you are not charged. We would rather send you nothing than send you almost.
Why some dates are harder than others. Notes were not printed every day, in every denomination, at every press — and of what was printed, only a fraction survived being spent. A date can be perfectly ordinary and still leave nothing behind in a given denomination. This is why we check before you pay, rather than promising first and searching afterwards.
How we check a note
Every note is looked at by hand before it is set aside for your order:
- The date is read against your order, and the note is rejected if it does not match
- The security features are checked against the issue the note claims to be — watermark, security thread, the feel of the intaglio printing, and the serial format for its series
- Condition is graded against our own standard, described below
- The note is examined for repair, trimming, cleaning, or restoration presented as original
- It is sleeved and reserved against your order alone, and not offered to anyone else
A note that fails any of these does not ship. We tell you the date is unavailable instead, and you are not charged.
Where the notes come from
From the stock of a working philately and paper-currency business: notes acquired over years through the dealer trade, at auction, and from private collections being broken up or sold on.
Nothing is bought from an unverifiable source, and every note is legally acquired and legally sold.
Condition, described honestly
We grade Fine or better, on our own house standard rather than a third party's:
- Fine — the note circulated properly. Folds, softened corners, general handling. Whole, clean, and entirely intact.
- Very Fine and better — lighter handling, firmer paper, sharper corners. Uncommon for older dates, and we do not charge extra for it.
A fold is not a defect. It is the evidence that the note was in the world, being spent, rather than sitting in a drawer waiting to be sold to you.
What we will not send: notes with tears into the design, missing pieces, tape, ink, mould, or repairs passed off as original.
Do you certify or grade the notes?
Not through a third-party grading service. Each note arrives with a personalised card recording its date and denomination, and our description of it stands as given — if it is not as described, see below.
We would rather be plain about this than imply a certification we do not provide.
If you are not satisfied it is genuine
Tell us. If a note we sent is not what this page describes, that is our error: we replace it or refund you in full, we cover return postage, and there is no time limit. See Returns & Refunds.
More questions? FAQ, or support@myluckydates.com — answered within 24 hours.