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50 Rupees
| Issuer | Oriental Bank Corporation, Galle |
|---|---|
| Year | 1881-1884 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 50 Rupees |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Black intaglio-printed note on white paper with ornate lathe-work borders and corner numerals reading '50' and 'FIFTY' alternately. To the left, an oval vignette shows a seated classical female figure in an architectural setting, while to the right a second oval vignette presents a standing female figure holding grapes. The Royal Arms of the Oriental Bank Corporation, incorporated by Royal Charter, occupies the upper centre, flanked by inscriptions in Sinhala and Tamil script, above a promise-to-pay text in English. The place name 'GALLE' appears at the top and 'CEYLON' at the foot, with 'LONDON' printed in the lower centre area. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | 50 සිංහල numerals ජනාධිපය |
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| Comments |
The Oriental Bank Corporation was a London-chartered bank operating across British colonial Asia, and its Ceylon branch notes — issued from Galle, then still the island's principal commercial port — represent one of the more short-lived colonial series in South Asian numismatics. The parent bank collapsed spectacularly in May 1884, caught by bad loans in Mauritius and a run on deposits across multiple branches simultaneously. Notes outstanding at that date became immediately worthless in commercial terms, though the Crown eventually managed a partial settlement for creditors.
Perkins Bacon's intaglio work on this series is technically accomplished, as expected from a firm that had been producing security printing since the 1820s. The 1884 failure cut the series short — four years of issue at most, likely fewer for the higher denominations.