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1 Rupee
| Issuer | Central Bank of Ceylon |
|---|---|
| Year | 1951 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Cotton paper |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse is printed in blue and olive, centred on a vignette of an ancient stone temple stairway with a carved guardian figure, consistent with the architectural heritage of Ceylon. The title CENTRAL BANK OF CEYLON and denomination ONE RUPEE are printed in bold letterpress at the top. Sinhala and Tamil script equivalents of the denomination appear at lower left, with the printer's imprint along the bottom edge. |
| Reverse lettering | CENTRAL BANK OF CEYLON ONE RUPEE රුපියලේ ஒரு ரூபாய் BRADBURY, WILKINSON & C° L° NEW MALDEN, SURREY, ENGLAND |
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| Comments |
Ceylon's Central Bank was established in August 1950, and this 1 Rupee note belongs to the very first series it issued — a deliberate assertion of monetary independence from the former Currency Board system that had operated since 1884 under colonial administration. The transition mattered politically: the Currency Board had kept Ceylon's reserves entirely in sterling, with no discretionary monetary policy whatsoever.
Bradbury Wilkinson's New Malden facility handled a significant volume of Commonwealth and colonial successor-state work in the early 1950s, making Ceylon one of several newly independent nations that retained British security printers even while shedding British monetary oversight.