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1⁄48 Rixdollar
| Issuer | Ceylon (1597-1972) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1801-1816 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Log in to see details |
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| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | GOVERNMENT:CEYLON. 48 |
| Reverse description | A stocky elephant facing left is depicted in the central field, rendered in a bold, somewhat stylized manner characteristic of early 19th-century colonial coinage. The date appears in the exergue below the elephant, separated from the main field by a horizontal line. A beaded border encircles the entire design. |
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| Edge | Log in to see details |
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| Additional information |
Ceylon passed from Dutch to British control in 1796, but the monetary system inherited by the new colonial administration was a patchwork of VOC-era copper and locally struck dump coinage that satisfied almost no one. The 1/48 Rixdollar was part of a deliberate rationalisation effort, anchoring small transactions to the Spanish-derived rixdollar accounting unit the Dutch had already embedded in the island's commerce.
The three KM references reflect successive issues across the period, with variation in die details rather than a single continuous production run. Ceylon would not see a fully decimalized currency until 1872.