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25 Cents
| Issuer | Government of Ceylon |
|---|---|
| Year | 1942 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 25 Cents (0.25) |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Black letterpress text on pale green underprint, with the issuer title THE GOVERNMENT OF CEYLON at the top in bold capitals. The denomination Twenty-five Cents is printed centrally in English, Sinhala, and Tamil scripts alongside an oval green underprint vignette, with a boxed numeral 25 panel to the right. The serial number prefix, date January 1, 1942, and two manuscript signatures of the Commissioners of Currency appear along the lower portion. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
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| Protection description | Watermark visible in the paper stock, typical of wartime Ceylon government currency issues. |
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| Comments |
Ceylon's small-denomination government notes of 1942 were a direct consequence of the Japanese advance through Southeast Asia. The fall of Malaya and the threat to Ceylon itself triggered a wartime decision to issue low-value paper fractions to replace coins, which were being hoarded and — in the case of base metals — potentially redirected toward the war effort. The Japanese bombing of Colombo and Trincomalee in April 1942 made these pressures acute.
The Government of Ceylon, rather than the Ceylon Currency Board, acted as issuer — a distinction that reflects the emergency administrative arrangements of the period.