Catalog
10 Shillings = 5 Rupees
| Issuer | Asiatic Banking Corporation, Kandy |
|---|---|
| Year | 1864-1866 |
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| Value | 10 Shillings |
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| Obverse description | Green and white note with ornate guilloche border framing the entire face. The issuer's title 'ASIATIC BANKING CORPORATION' is printed in bold letterpress across the upper centre, flanked by two oval 'TEN SHILLINGS' cartouches and a central circular vignette bearing the corporation's seal. A promise-to-pay text in intaglio script reads 'THE ASIATIC BANKING CORPORATION promise to pay the Bearer on Demand at their Branch here or at their Bank in Colombo TEN SHILLINGS in the Currency of the Island value received,' with the place of issue 'KANDY, CEYLON' and a manuscript date space for '18__'. Sinhalese script legends run vertically along both lateral borders and horizontally along the top and bottom margins, with signature lines for 'Date,' 'Director,' and 'Manager' at the foot. |
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| Obverse lettering | ASIATIC BANKING CORPORATION TEN SHILLINGS THE ASIATIC BANKING CORPORATION promise to pay the Bearer on Demand at their Branch here or at their Bank in Colombo TEN SHILLINGS in the Currency of the Island value received KANDY, CEYLON By order of the Court of Directors. Date Director Manager |
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| Comments |
The Asiatic Banking Corporation was a short-lived British overseas bank, established in 1863 and already in liquidation by 1866 — which means this note's entire issuing window lasted roughly three years before the institution collapsed. The dual denomination, expressing value simultaneously in shillings and rupees, reflects the transitional monetary reality of mid-1860s Ceylon, where British sterling and Indian rupee accounting coexisted in commercial practice.
Kandy-issued notes from this bank are exceptionally rare survivors. Most were called in and destroyed during the liquidation process, and Ceylon's humid climate has not been kind to what little escaped.