Catalog
5 Ryxdaalders
| Issuer | Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie (Dutch East India Company), Kolumbo |
|---|---|
| Year | 1796 |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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| Obverse description | The face of this VOC emergency note is enclosed within a decorative interlaced border. Four circular vignettes occupy the corners, each containing either the VOC monogram or a tree device. The central field carries the denomination numeral '5' in large type, flanked by the Dutch text 'goed voor vyf Ryxds:' and trilingual inscriptions in Sinhalese and Tamil scripts below, with a manuscript signature across the lower centre. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | goed voor 5 vyf Ryxds: |
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| Comments |
The VOC was already in terminal decline when this note was issued — the Company had been formally declared bankrupt in 1795 and placed under the administration of the Batavian Republic. Notes issued from Colombo in 1796 were effectively the dying gasps of a colonial financial apparatus that had been insolvent for years, sustained largely by debt and the Batavian government's reluctant assumption of VOC liabilities.
Ceylon-issued VOC paper is among the rarest of all Company financial documents. The Colombo establishment was one of the last VOC outposts still functioning, and British forces would seize the island from the Batavian Republic the following year. Most circulating paper was withdrawn or simply abandoned during the handover.