100 Rupees

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.