The Oriental Bank Corporation
1881-1884 - Jaffna

Denomination : 5 Rupees Shade Color : Red Value Color : Pink English : Five Rupees Sinhala : රුපියල්පහයි Thamil : ஐந்துரூபாய் Size : 160 x 126 mm Date : 1st January 1881 Status : Specimen
Pick-lk S155
Denomination : 10 Rupees Shade Color : Brown Value Color : Orange English : Ten Rupees Sinhala : රුපියල්දහයයි Thamil : பத்துரூபாய் Size : 197 x 122 mm Date : 1st January 1881 Status : Specimen
Pick-lk S157

Front : Decorative vertical panels on either side with Numeric value on top and bottom Guilloche with engraving in central ellipse. Repeated Microprinting of value as Numeric and in English. Panel on left has Crowned Empress Victoria seated on throne with a seven arced shell behind. A scroll in her left hand and chalis(?) in her right hand. Standing lion on either and Sailing boat on left, Coconut palm and building on right. A basket of fruit at her feet. The panel on right Bust of Mercury with caduceus. In centered Decorative horizontal panels JAFFNA on top and and CEYLON at bottom. Within panels on top Center, arced name THE ORIENTAL BANK CORPORATION with legend INCORPORATED BY ROYAL CHARTER below. Crowned British Royal Coat of arms within oblate belt with legend HONO SOIT QUI MAL Y PENSE supported by rampant lion crowned facing forward on left and unicorn chained with garter on right. Lion standing left on crown. Below DIEU ET MON DROIT in scroll.
On either side Denomination රුපියල් Denomination in Sinhala on left and Denomination ரூபாய் in Thamil on right, with Seriel No below. Within color shaded rectangle
Promise to pay the Bearer on demand at their Branch here or at their Bank in Colombo DENOMINATION RUPEES , Value received
Below JAFFNA with date as day month year. At center huge value in words RUPEES outlined in another Color, and taller than shaded region overlays it, Branch and date, as well as lower part of coart of arms. Below By Order of the Court of Directors
below on right ______ AGENT
below which on left ENT^D _____ ACCOUNT^T.
At bottom centered just below horizontal decorate in small script
BRADBURY WILKINSON & C^o ENGRAVERS &c, LONDON..
Back : On a elaborate decorate of full back of currency Notes the value in Rupees Numerically and in all three languages, English repeated many times in small and micro text and once prominently in Sinhala and Thamil. Two identical Medallic busts face each in middle. Detailed design of back of each denomination is different from each other in color and detail.

Denomination	Rs 5	Rs 10
Color Vertical bands	Blue-Red-Blue	Red-Blue-Red
Pair of Busts	Lady with hat	Gent with helmet
Sinhala Text	Center Upper	left middle
Thamil Text	Center lower	right middle
Large Numeric value	8	7

Watermark : ORIENTAL BANK in downward arc above CORPORATION in line below darker than paper (need to confirm)
Printer : Bradbury Wilkinson & C^o, London.
Size : Estimated assuming Frame is same as circulated Rs 5 note measured from the Colombo National Museum Collection, and assuming size was adopted in inches. On other denominations the design Frame height was assumed to be of same.

The Rs 5 note is 14% less wide, and the vertical panel on left has been made narrower. Only part of the engraving of Mercury is shown.

Text and Images from Spink Auction listings Rs 5 and Rs 10.
Images estimated to be 78(Rs5) and 64(Rs10) dpi and displayed at 50 dpi.

Known Denomination, Date and Serial Numbers

1881-1884 Jaffna -      Rs   5  1881-01-01   J035001-J065000
                        Rs  10  1881-01-01   J020001-J035000  J030124(BMC)