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1000 Rupees
| Issuer | Government of Ceylon |
|---|---|
| Year | 1929 |
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| Printer | De La Rue (Thomas de la Rue; Thomas De La Rue & Co.; TDLR), London, United Kingdom (1821-date) |
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| Obverse description | Brown on green guilloche underprint. The face bears the serial number repeated four times in red ink, with ornate guilloche patterns framing the central field. Issued in the name of the Government of Ceylon, dated 1st July 1929, with formal promissory text. |
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| Obverse lettering | THE GOVERNMENT OF CEYLON Promises to pay the Bearer on Demand the Sum of ONE THOUSAND RUPEES Colombo, 1st. July 1929. FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF CEYLON |
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| Comments |
The Government of Ceylon's 1000 Rupee note of 1929 sits at the top of a series that predates the establishment of the Central Bank of Ceylon by over two decades — currency authority remained with the colonial government until 1950. At this denomination, the note would have been used almost exclusively for inter-bank settlements and large mercantile transactions; ordinary circulation was never a realistic prospect. De La Rue's London work on this series is characteristically fine, though the real scarcity here is structural rather than accidental.
Surviving examples are exceptionally rare. High-denomination colonial issues were routinely recalled and destroyed once redeemed, and the low print runs for 1000 Rupee notes meant little redundancy in the first place.