Catalog
100 Rupees Oriental Bank Corporation
| Issuer | Oriental Bank Corporation |
|---|---|
| Year | 1876 |
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| Composition | Paper |
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| Obverse lettering | රුපියල් සියයයි நூறுரூபாய் 100 Incorporated by Royal Charter. Colombo, Ceylon 1st Jany, 1876. THE ORIENTAL BANK CORPORATION Promise to pay the Bearer on demand at their Office here ONE HUNDRED RUPEES Value received. By order of the Court of Directors, Entd. Accountt. Manager |
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| Protection description | Curved ORIENTAL BANK above curved CORPORATION. |
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| Comments |
The Oriental Bank Corporation, chartered in 1851 under a British Crown license, was one of the great exchange banks of the Victorian empire — and one of the most spectacular failures. It collapsed in May 1884, suspended payments, and was formally wound up shortly after, leaving creditors across India, Ceylon, and the Far East with significant losses. A note dated 1876 places it in the bank's final decade, when overexposure to Ceylon coffee planters hit hard after blight devastated that industry.
Perkins, Bacon & Petch were the gold standard for intaglio security printing in this period, with anti-forgery engraving techniques refined over decades of banknote and stamp production.