Catalog
2 Rixdollars
| Issuer | Government of Ceylon |
|---|---|
| Year | 1820-1826 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 2 Rixdollars |
| 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 | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | පතාග දෙකයි இறையால இரண்டு COLOMBO 20 May 1820 The Government of Ceylon promise to pay to the Bearer on demand the Sum of TWO Rix Dollars in Copper Money at the Exchange of Forty Eight Stivers for One Rix Dollar on presenting this at the General Treasury. RIX DOLLARS TWO COLOMBO Extd & Entd. (Translation: Two rixdollars.) |
| Reverse description | Reverse is blank, without any printed design or lettering. |
| 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 |
Ceylon's rixdollar was an inherited Dutch colonial currency that the British administration kept in use well after taking control of the island in 1796, largely because replacing it would have disrupted an already fragile local monetary system. These government paper notes were not issued by a bank — Ceylon had none at the time — but directly by the colonial administration, an arrangement that was itself a source of chronic distrust among merchants accustomed to metallic settlement.
The rixdollar was eventually demonetized in 1828, replaced by sterling at a fixed rate of 1s 6d. Notes remaining in circulation at that moment were largely unredeemed, which is part of why this series survives in such small numbers today.