Catalog
5 Pounds
| Issuer | Government of Ceylon |
|---|---|
| Year | 1827-1856 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | Black intaglio print on white paper. Central vignette of Britannia seated, holding spear and shield, at upper centre, with a lion at left and cornucopia at right; elephant and sailing ships visible in the background. Trilingual text in English, Sinhala, and Tamil surrounds the central design, with the denomination rendered in all three scripts. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | CEYLON ලංකාවෙ ආන්ඩුවෙකසලප්පුව இலங்கைஅரசாட்சியின்கடதாசி நோட்டு 5 The Bearer hereof is entitled to receive on demand FIVE POUNDS පවුම් පහයි ஐந்து பவுன் at the GENERAL TREASURY in the Currency of this Island at COLOMBO. පවුම් පහයි FIVE ஐந்து பவுன் Exd & Entd Perkins, Bacon & Petch, London Patent Hardened Steel Plate. (Translation: Government of Ceylon. Government of Ceylon banknote. Five rupees.) |
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| Comments |
Ceylon's colonial government issued paper currency unusually early for a British dependency, and this 5 Pounds note predates the establishment of any local banking infrastructure capable of handling redemption with confidence. The Colonial Treasury in Colombo was effectively guarantor, but the practical reach of a high-denomination note in a predominantly agricultural, barter-adjacent economy was always limited. These circulated almost exclusively among European merchants and colonial administrators.
Perkins, Bacon & Petch had developed their steel-engraving and siderographic transfer techniques precisely to defeat counterfeiters, and Ceylon was among the early colonial administrations to commission them. The long span of this issue — nearly three decades without redesign — speaks to the low volume of production rather than any particular confidence in the note's durability.