100 Rupees

Ceylon's Central Bank began issuing its own notes only in 1950, replacing the Currency Board system that had governed the island's paper money since 1884. The early De La Rue series, of which this is a high-denomination example, was produced during a period of intense political transition — the same year this note was issued, the Official Language Act made Sinhala the sole official language, triggering widespread civil unrest and fundamentally reshaping the country's postcolonial identity.

Pick 61 is the scarcer of the two signature varieties in the 1952–1956 run. High-denomination notes from this series saw limited retail circulation and were largely confined to interbank and government transactions, which affects survivorship at the upper end of the grade scale.