Star series notes

Star (*) notes in India: what the star means, and what they actually sold for

A rupee note with a star (*) in its number panel is not fake: the RBI uses the star to mark a note that replaced a misprinted one in a packet of 100, and says it is otherwise identical to any other legal banknote. So a star note you can spend is worth at least its face value: a ₹500 star note is worth at least ₹500. The only star notes with enough completed sales in our records to quote a price are ₹10 ones, at middle prices of ₹73 to ₹120 across three varieties. Not lakhs.

What a star note is, and how to spot one

It is a replacement, not a fake. The RBI issues fresh notes in packets of 100. When a note in a packet was found to be misprinted, the presses used to print a fresh note with the very same number, to keep the packet in sequence. In April 2006 the RBI announced a cheaper method: the misprinted note is replaced by one carrying a star (*) in the number panel, between the prefix and the serial number. The RBI’s own example looks like 4CC*456987. A packet holding star notes still has 100 notes, though not in serial order, and its band says that star notes are inside (RBI, 19 April 2006). The RBI stated that star notes are legal tender and that the public may freely accept and use them (RBI, 31 August 2006). When their validity was discussed on social media in 2023, it clarified on 27 July 2023 that a star note is “identical to any other legal banknote”, the star being only a sign that the note was replaced or reprinted. The same explanation is in the RBI’s FAQ on Indian currency (Section B, Question 9). There is no reason to refuse one.

Star notes the RBI has announced: ₹10, 20, 50, 100 and 500

Note	Star notes, according to the RBI	Completed sales in our records
₹10	Announced in 2006, starting with ₹10, ₹20 and ₹50 (RBI)	Yes, median price: star note ₹120 (15 sales) · Governor Subbarao’s signature ₹113 (8 sales) · Governor Urjit Patel’s signature ₹73 (8 sales)
₹20	Announced in 2006	Too few to quote a price: the note is worth at least its face value, ₹20
₹50	Announced in 2006	Too few to quote a price: the note is worth at least its face value, ₹50
₹100	Already in circulation by December 2016, the RBI said (RBI)	Too few to quote a price: the note is worth at least its face value, ₹100
₹500	On 16 December 2016 the RBI said ₹500 star notes were being issued for the first time, among Mahatma Gandhi (New) series notes with the inset letter ‘E’ (RBI). So the old ₹500 series withdrawn on 8 November 2016 never had star notes	Too few to quote a price: the note is worth at least its face value, ₹500
Any other note	Star notes turn up in other notes too, such as ₹200. We found no separate RBI release for them, but the 2023 clarification covers every RBI banknote with a star, so they are as legal as any other note. ₹1 notes, star or not, are issued by the Government of India, not the RBI, and remain legal tender (RBI FAQ)	Too few to quote a price

Before you read anything into the ₹10 prices: the note is worth ₹10 as money in any case. The prices above are for particular notes that reached a coin and note shop and sold there, and the pages do not split them by the note’s condition. They do not show that a star by itself makes a note worth more: the notes that reach a shop are the ones somebody already thought were special. We do not have enough completed sales of ₹20, ₹50, ₹100 or ₹500 star notes to quote a price, so we give none for them, neither an asking price nor a guess. All these prices are medians of completed sales at independent shops, the price at which a note sold out rather than an asking price, read on 4 October 2026; the linked pages may move slightly as new sales are added. Another claim that rests on the serial number is the 786 note. Why an asking price is not a value · What Indian notes are really worth

“Star notes are worth lakhs”: the claim, then the fees

A real buyer never asks the seller for money. If a video or forward says a star note sells for lakhs, what follows can be the story recorded again and again in old note and coin frauds: a “buyer” agrees to a huge price, then asks for a registration fee, then processing or courier, then GST or TDS, then “RBI clearance”, each one said to be the last. On 4 August 2021 the RBI said it does not deal in the buying or selling of old notes and coins, never seeks charges or commission of any kind, and has authorised nobody to collect charges on its behalf. To the RBI a star note is just another note, and every fee demanded in its name is a lie. How the scam works · What the RBI says

Selling a star note, and when it is not worth it

Check whether selling makes sense at all. We do not have enough completed sales of ₹20, ₹50, ₹100 or ₹500 star notes to quote a price; such a note is worth at least its face value, and we cannot say whether a collector would pay more; it stays legal tender whether you keep it or spend it. For a ₹10 star note, compare yours with the pages in the table, and check whose signature it carries (what a signature is actually worth).
Photograph the number panel so the star and the full number can be read, plus one photo of each side. Do not wash, iron or tape the note; leave it as it is. A whole packet is a different matter: what a gaddi of notes sells for.
If anyone offers to buy or sell an old-design ₹500 or ₹1,000 note, the ones withdrawn on 8 November 2016, stop there, star or no star. The old ₹500 series never had star notes. Under the Specified Bank Notes (Cessation of Liabilities) Act, 2017, a person may only hold these notes, up to 10 in total or up to 25 for study, research or numismatics; selling, buying or handing them on is not allowed, and the fine can reach ₹10,000 or five times the face value, whichever is higher (text of the Act; what to do with old notes).
On The Currency Bazaar buyers reach you by chat on the site and your phone number is not shown. Every message is checked for requests for fees or money, and one that trips the check carries a warning. We take 0% commission on the sale.

Already paid someone? Call 1930, the national helpline for reporting financial cyber fraud, or report at cybercrime.gov.in straight away. Then file a written complaint at your local police station, and keep screenshots of the conversation and receipts for every payment.

Have a star note worth listing?

Check it against the sold prices above first: a star note in circulation is worth at least its face value, and ₹10 is the only star note with enough sales in our records to quote a price. A listing plan is a one-time payment from ₹99, and we take 0% commission on the sale. Buyers reach you by chat, your phone number is not shown, and a real buyer never asks the seller for money.

See the plans

Last updated: 2026-10-04