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100 Rupees
| Issuer | Oriental Bank Corporation, Colombo |
|---|---|
| Year | 1881-1884 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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| Engraver(s) | 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 | Uniface design printed in pale multicolour guilloche underprint of soft greens and rose tones, with an elaborate lathe-work surround. The large numeral "100" occupies the central oval, flanked symmetrically by two intaglio portrait medallions of a classical female bust in profile. Corner numerals "100" appear in each quadrant, and a Sinhalese inscription runs along the upper register within the ornamental frame. |
| Reverse lettering | 100 |
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| Comments |
The Oriental Bank Corporation collapsed in May 1884 — one of the most spectacular bank failures in British colonial history — which makes any surviving note from its Colombo branch genuinely rare. The bank had overextended itself across India, Ceylon, and the Far East, and when it went under, outstanding notes became worthless almost overnight. Redemption was partial at best; most paper simply vanished or was destroyed by holders who received nothing.
Bradbury, Wilkinson engraved the plates to their usual high standard, but the notes had a short operational window of three years at most.