Catalog
1 Pound
| Issuer | General Treasury, Ceylon |
|---|---|
| Year | 1827 |
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| In circulation to | Yes |
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| Obverse description | Black letterpress print on plain paper. Britannia seated left, holding spear and shield, with an elephant vignette in the background. Text arranged in multiple registers with denomination stated in words and numerals. |
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| Obverse lettering | COLOMBO 18__ The Bearer is entitled to receive ONE POUND on demand at the General Treasury in the Currency of the Island. ONE POUND. COLOMBO Exd & Entd |
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| Comments |
Ceylon's General Treasury began issuing its own notes in the 1820s, operating through a colonial fiscal structure rather than a chartered bank — unusual for British territories of the period, where private bank issues were the norm. This 1827 pound note predates the founding of the Bank of Ceylon by well over a century and reflects Colombo's direct dependence on the colonial administration for paper currency functions.
Silvester & Company of London handled the printing, a firm active in security and commercial engraving during the early nineteenth century but far less prominent than contemporaries such as Perkins Bacon. Their involvement here likely reflects practical procurement rather than any particular technical distinction.