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2 Rupees
| Issuer | Government of Ceylon |
|---|---|
| Year | 1925-1939 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse is printed in green and carries an elaborate floral and scrollwork design centred on the armorial crest of British Ceylon, which consists of an elephant facing forward flanked by four coconut palms on each side against a mountainous background. |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | Composite watermark incorporating a large dark TWO RUPEES inscription at top and a lighter GOVERNMENT OF CEYLON text at bottom, with a central elephant and dagoba motif in a bubble shape, flanked by a parasol and a lightning conductor appearing higher on the left and lower on the right. |
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| Comments |
The Government of Ceylon — not the Ceylon Currency Board, which replaced it in 1942 — issued currency directly under colonial Treasury authority during this period. Thomas De La Rue printed throughout the series, a relationship the colonial administration maintained from the late nineteenth century. The 2 Rupee denomination was the workhorse of everyday commerce on the island, circulating heavily in plantation districts where tea and rubber wages were paid in small notes.
Heavy circulation means surviving examples with clean folds and intact margins are genuinely uncommon. The watermark construction on De La Rue paper of this period typically incorporated the issuer's name within a continuous band — a detail worth examining under transmitted light.