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1 Pound
| Issuer | Government of Ceylon |
|---|---|
| Year | 1827-1856 |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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| Obverse description | Black intaglio print on plain paper. Central vignette of Britannia seated, holding spear and shield, flanked by a lion at left and cornucopia at right, with an elephant and sailing ships in the background. Trilingual text in English, Sinhala, and Tamil frames the denomination and treasury obligation. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | CEYLON ලංකාවෙ ආන්ඩුවෙකසලප්පුව இலங்கைஅரசாட்சியின்கடதாசி நோட்டு ₤1 The Bearer hereof is entitled to receive on demand ONE POUND පවුම් එකයි ஒரு பவுன் at the GENERAL TREASURY in the Currency of this Island at COLOMBO. පවුම් එකයි ONE POUND ஒரு பவுன் Exd & Entd Perkins, Bacon & Petch, London Patent Hardened Steel Plate. (Translation: Government of Ceylon. Government of Ceylon banknote. One pound.) |
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| Comments |
Ceylon's government-issued pound notes of this period predate the establishment of any formal colonial bank on the island — the Oriental Bank Corporation didn't open its Colombo branch until 1851, leaving the colonial administration to function as its own note-issuing authority for decades. Perkins, Bacon & Petch, the London security printers better known for their work on early postage stamps including the Penny Black, handled the plates.
The series ran across nearly three decades, which almost certainly means multiple print runs with subtle plate differences. Few examples of any date survive.