Catalog
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| Issuer | Government of Ceylon |
|---|---|
| Year | 1941-1949 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Rupee |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
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| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | GOVERNMENT OF CEYLON ELEPHANT'S HEAD |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Watermark |
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| Variants | Log in to see details |
| Comments |
Ceylon's small-format rupee notes of this period were a direct product of wartime logistics. With Japanese forces advancing through Southeast Asia in 1941–42, the island's status as a British imperial hub made currency supply a genuine operational concern. The Government of Ceylon — rather than the Ceylon Currency Board or any banking institution — retained direct note-issuing authority for the one-rupee denomination throughout this period, a deliberate policy holdover from earlier colonial fiscal practice.
De La Rue printed the series in London across nearly a decade, an unusually long run that produced multiple signature varieties. Collectors distinguish these primarily by the Secretary to the Treasury signatures, of which several appear across the P#34 type.