Catalog
10 Rupees
| Issuer | Oriental Bank Corporation, Kandy |
|---|---|
| Year | 1881-1884 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Rupee (1836-date) |
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| Obverse description | The obverse is printed in black on white paper with an elaborate engraved design. The bank title THE ORIENTAL BANK CORPORATION INCORPORATED BY ROYAL CHARTER is set across the upper portion, flanked by the denomination numeral 10 in each corner within ornate guilloche frames. Two oval vignettes occupy the left and right sides — the left showing a seated figure in an interior scene, the right a classical female figure with a lion — while the central area bears the Royal Arms of the United Kingdom. A handwritten promise-to-pay text reads 'Promise to pay the Bearer on demand at their Branch here or at their Bank in Colombo TEN RUPEES Value received,' dated Kandy 1st January 1882, with manuscript signatures of the Manager and accountant below. The word CEYLON appears in a panel at the foot of the note, with bilingual serial numbers in both English and Sinhalese script. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | KANDY THE ORIENTAL BANK CORPORATION INCORPORATED BY ROYAL CHARTER TEN 10 Promise to pay the Bearer on demand at their Branch here or at their Bank in Colombo TEN RUPEES Value received. KANDY By Order of the Court of Directors Manager CEYLON |
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| Comments |
The Oriental Bank Corporation was a British overseas bank chartered in 1851, with significant operations across Ceylon, India, and the Far East. Its collapse in May 1884 — one of the more spectacular bank failures of the Victorian period — was precipitated by bad loans in Mauritius and a catastrophic run on deposits. Notes issued from the Kandy branch, dated within the 1881–1884 window, were potentially still in circulation when the bank suspended payments, leaving holders with worthless paper overnight.
Kandy-branch issues are considerably scarcer than those from the Colombo office, reflecting lower print runs for the interior.