Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
1000 Rupees
| Issuer | Government of Ceylon |
|---|---|
| Year | 1899-1926 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1000 Rupees |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Black on green underprint with guilloche patterning throughout. The denomination 'ONE THOUSAND RUPEES' is rendered in large bold letterpress text at center, with the serial number repeated four times in black ink. An elephant vignette with a stupa appears at upper left, and a floral ornament at lower left. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Reverse is blank, without any printed design, text, or ornamentation. |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | Log in to see details |
| Variants | Log in to see details |
| Comments |
The Government of Ceylon's currency notes of this period were issued under the Currency Ordinance of 1884, which established direct Treasury issue rather than central bank emission — Ceylon had no central bank until 1950. The 1000 Rupee denomination was never intended for everyday commerce; at a time when a laborer on a tea estate might earn four to six rupees a month, this was a note that moved between merchants, agency houses, and government accounts.
The series ran across nearly three decades without fundamental redesign, which was not negligence but deliberate policy — stability of appearance was thought to deter forgery in a colony where detection capacity was limited.