Central Bank of Ceylon Queen Elizabeth II - 1952-1954
Currency Notes issued between 1952 and 1954 by the Central Bank of
Ceylon with the young portrait of Her Majesty
Queen Elizabeth II.
Born on 1926 April 21st, Princess Elizabeth, ascended to
the throne on 1952 February 6th, on the death of her father King
George VI, and was coronated on 1953 June 2nd.
The Ceylon currency notes with her portrait, dated a year before her
coronation are the world's first dated Currency Notes with her
portrait after she ascended to the throne on 1952 February 6th.
The denominations Rs1, Rs2, Rs5, Rs50 and Rs100 (excluding the Rs10)
were issued with date 3rd June 1952.
Hong Kong dated 1952 July 1st, Cyprus 1952 September 1st, and Bermuda
1952 October 20th followed.
The Ceylon Rs 10, dated 1st July 1953 is the world's first dated, to be
issued after her coronation on 1953 June 2nd.
Ceylon was also the first Commonwealth Nation to stop using the QEII
portrait on their Banknotes.
Last issued with date 16th October 1954. New
notes after the Sinhala Only Act were
issued dated 1956-7-30 with the Armorial Ensign of Ceylon.
These facts were inferred by checking notes in
Pick of all countries that issued notes with a
QEII portrait of 1954 and older.
Please correct me if any statement of this paragraph is wrong, Thanks.
Only in 1956, the UK Treasury gave permission to the Bank of England to
use
the Monarch's portrait in a new series of notes. which were first
issued in 1960.
Ceylon has a few Oriental Bank
notes with enthroned
Victoria, the design of which was used by Bradbury Wilkinson in few
countries. Subsequently Ceylon used the Monarchs image on BankNotes
from 1941 to 1954 and but on Coins from 1815 to 1957.
Why is there such a difference in the usage of the Monarch image
between Banknotes and Coins?
See also an interesting 1956 transition sketch
essay.
Denomination
: 1 Rupee
Base Color
: Blue
Under-print
: Orange & Green
English
: One Rupee
Sinhala
: රුපියලයි
Thamil
: ஒரு ரூபாய்
Size
: 108 x 60 mm
SCWPM-lk
: 49
Back Pictorial :
Moonstone and ornate stone
stairway to Vatadage in medieval City of Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka.
Deno.
Date on Note
Minister of Finance
Governor CBC
1st Serial #
000 Pcs
Re.1
3RD JUNE 1952
J.R.Jayawardena
John Exter
A/31 000001
12,000
Re.1
16TH OCTOBER 1954
M.D.H.Jayawardena
A.G.Ranasingha
A/43 000001
25,000
Denomination
: 2 Rupees
Base Color
: Brown & Lilac
Under-print
: Blue & Green
English
: Two Rupees
Sinhala
: රුපියල් දෙකයි
Thamil
: இரண்டு ரூபாய்
Size
: 121 x 67 mm
SCWPM-lk
: 50
Back Pictorial :
Circular Buddhist shrine,
Medirigiriya Vatadage in medieval City of Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka.
Deno.
Date on Note
Minister of Finance
Governor CBC
1st Serial #
000 Pcs
Rs.2
3RD JUNE 1952
J.R.Jayawardena
John Exter
E/1 000001
15,000
Rs.2
16TH OCTOBER 1954
M.D.H.Jayawardena
A.G.Ranasingha
E/16 000001
12,000
Denomination
: 5 Rupees
Base Color
: Purple
Under-print
: Blue, Green & Orange
English
: Five Rupees
Sinhala
: රුපියල් පහයි
Thamil
: ஐந்து ரூபாய்
Size
: 133 x 73 mm
SCWPM-lk
: 51
Back Pictorial :
Statue of sage Pulasthi in
medieval City of Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka.
Deno.
Date on Note
Minister of Finance
Governor CBC
1st Serial #
000 Pcs
Rs.5
3RD JUNE 1952
J.R.Jayawardena
John Exter
G/1 000001
10,000
Denomination
: 5 Rupees
Base Color
: Orange
Under-print
: Aqua, Green & Brown
English
: Five Rupees
Sinhala
: රුපියල් පහයි
Thamil
: ஐந்து ரூபாய்
Size
: 133 x 73 mm
SCWPM-lk
: 54
Back Pictorial :
Statue of sage Pulasthi in
medieval City of Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka.
Deno.
Date on Note
Minister of Finance
Governor CBC
1st Serial #
000 Pcs
Rs.5
16TH OCTOBER 1954
M.D.H.Jayawardena
A.G.Ranasingha
G/11 000001
8,000
Denomination
: 10 Rupees
Base Color
: Green
Under-print
: Violet, Brown & Blue
English
: Ten Rupees
Sinhala
: රුපියල් දහයයි
Thamil
: பத்து ரூபாய்
Size
: 146x 79 mm
SCWPM-lk
: 55
Back Pictorial :
Guard standing with pot of
plenty (punkalasa) in his left hand and in the other a
sprouting branch complete with leaves, buds and flowers. A
pair of midgets (Bahirawa) at on either side of his feet.
Deno.
Date on Note
Minister of Finance
Governor CBC
1st Serial #
000 Pcs
Rs.10
1ST JULY 1953
J.R.Jayawardena
N.U.Jayawardena
L/21 000001
10,000
Rs.10
16TH OCTOBER 1954
M.D.H.Jayawardena
A.G.Ranasingha
L/31 000001
15,000
Denomination
: 50 Rupees
Base Color
: Blue
Under-print
: Purple and multicolor
English
: Fifty Rupees
Sinhala
: රුපියල් පනහයි
Thamil
: ஐம்பது ரூபாய்
Size
: 159 x 89 mm
SCWPM-lk
: 52
Back Pictorial :
Moonstone at base
of stone stairway to Queens Pavilion in Ancient City of
Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. Moonstone has 3¼ repeated
sequence of Elephant, Horse, Lion and Bull in annulus, and
equal total of 13 swans in inner annulus, along with various
other annulus with floral designs.
Deno.
Date on Note
Minister of Finance
Governor CBC
1st Serial #
000 Pcs
Rs.50
3RD JUNE 1952
J.R.Jayawardena
John Exter
R/1 00001
1,500
Rs.50
12TH MAY 1954
O.E.Goonatilleke
N.U.Jayawardena
R/16 00001
1,000
Denomination
: 100 Rupees
Base Color
: Brown
Under-print
: Purple, Green & Orange
English
: One Hundred Rupees
Sinhala
: රුපියල් සියයයි
Thamil
: நூறு ரூபாய்
Size
: 171 x 98 mm
SCWPM-lk
: 53
Back Pictorial :
Sigiriya Fresco of 5th Century CE
Deno.
Date on Note
Minister of Finance
Governor CBC
1st Serial #
000 Pcs
Rs.100
3RD JUNE 1952
J.R.Jayawardena
John Exter
V/1 00001
2,000
Rs.100
16TH OCTOBER 1954
M.D.H.Jayawardena
A.G.Ranasingha
V/21 00001
1,000
Front: Young portrait of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth facing
right, within panel on left. Similer panel for water-mark on the
right. CENTRAL BANK OF CEYLON at upper centre above
This note is issued on behalf of the Government of Ceylon and is
legal tender in Ceylon for the payment of any amount in three
or four lines. The Value RUPEES in two or three lines in
English at center. The date as Day Month Year below. Facsimile
English signatures above MINISTER OF FINANCE on
left and GOVERNOR CENTRAL BANK OF CEYLON on
right. One Serial No at center for Re 1 and Rs 2 and twice on lower
left and upper right for rest. Value in Sinhala
රුපියල්
on left, at top or bottom and value in Thamil
ரூபாய்
on right always at bottom. All within a rectangular decorated border
with Numeric Value in upper two corners and both, right or none of
lower corners. Back: Rectangular decorated border with Numeric Value in upper
two corners and both, right or none of lower corners. Centered in
border CENTRAL BANK OF CEYLON on top or bottom. In English
Text, Value RUPEES at Upper, lower, or right. Within border,
Top or Bottom, value in Sinhala
රුපියල්
on left, and value in Thamil
ரூபாய்
on right.
Ceylon Pictorial on right or centered on micro under-print pattern
with colored shading.
At bottom centered just below horizontal decorate in small script BRADBURY WILKINSON & CO LD NEW MALDEN. SURREY, ENGLAND. Watermark: Lion standing on hind legs facing left with
bent whip in right paw, Lion Lighter with outline including whip darker than paper.
EngraverNigel Alan Dow (1929- )
Dow became Chief engraver at Bradbury Wilkinson in the 1960s has
engraved more portraits of Queen Elizabeth II than any other security
engraver: ten different portraits for the Bank of England and
Commonwealth governments. Nevertheless Mr Dow has been quoted as
saying "I've never really engraved a satisfactory portrait of the
Queen. I think everyone has their own ideas a to how she looks - and
that includes the photographer" (Hutchings 83). Legendary British
engraver Alan Dow retired in 1997 after 52 years of cutting images in
steel.
(Ref: Gene Hessler's The international engraver's line p:81-83)
Although the general layout of all the notes are similer, the shape
and location of each of the elements are slightly different for each
of the denominations.
Denomination
Re 1
Rs 2
Rs 5
Rs 10
Rs 50
Rs 100
Portrait Panel
Oval
Squarish
Scallop
Scallop
Squarish
Oval
Legality lines
3
4
3
4
4
3
Eng. Value lines
2
2
2
2
2
3
Front Lower Numbers
None
None
Both
Both
Right
Both
Back Lower Numbers
Right
Right
Both
Both
None
Both
Back Eng. CBC Center
Top
Top
Top arc
Bottom
Top
Top
Front Sinhala Left
Bottom
Bottom
Upper
Upper
Upper
Bottom
Front Thamil Right
Bottom
Bottom
Bottom
Bottom
Bottom
Bottom
Back English Center
Upper
Bottom
Right
Right
Bottom
Bottom
Back Sinhala Left
Bottom
Bottom
Bottom
Top
Lower
Upper
Back Thamil
BotCen
UppRig
BotRig
TopRig
UppRig
UppRig
Back Pictorial
Right
Right
Center
Center
Right
Right
Minister of Finance
Governor Central Bank of Ceylon
3RD JUNE 1952
J.R.Jayawardena
John Exter
1ST JULY 1953
J.R.Jayawardena
N.U.Jayawardena
12TH MAY 1954
O.E.Goonatilleke
N.U.Jayawardena
16TH OCTOBER 1954
M.D.H.Jayawardena
A.G.Ranasingha
Among the six denominations, each issued on 2 dates, there are 4
different dates and signature pairs, all of which are represented above.
There were three Finance Ministers and three Governors of Central Bank within 2.4 years
In classic Dorothy Wilding photograph of
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II,
she is wearing her grandmother's 'Girls of Great Britain and
Ireland' Tiara. The Tiara from the London jeweller Garrard was
given to George V's wife Queen Mary as a wedding gift in 1893.
Funds for the purchase was raised by a committee formed by Lady Eve Greville.
The format and Pictorials are the same as the
notes issued in 1951 for King George VI.
There were two colors for the Rs 5 note. According to T. M. U. Sallay
this change happened because when the CBC Governor sent a Purple Rs 5
with servant to shop, it was mistaken at dusk, for a brown Rs 2, for
which change was returned. A similar mistake still happens with 2010
Series with the Purple Rs500/- being mistaken for Maroon Rs20/-.
The Central Bank of Ceylon Annual Report for 1952 says I quote
98. During 1952 the Central Bank issued for the first time currency
notes designed and printed under its authority. The new notes were in
denominations of Rs. 10, Rs. 2, and Re. 1.
The Rs 10 and Re 1 notes would have been those of King George VI.
The currency in circulation for 1952 shows no increase in Circulation
of the Rs 2 after June. , b and Re 1. notes in 1952 April and may have been the
month of issue. (Need to check Newspapers). New Notes are issued
tradinionally for Sinhala & Tamil New Year.
The Uncirculated Re 1; Rs 2 and red Rs 5 are from a small collection
of notes preserved by my Grand-Father Mudliyar P. D. Ratnatunga
(1881-1977) which motivated my interest in Ceylon Currency Notes.
The Uncirculated purple Rs 5 from the collection of Mr Leonard Konstz,
given to his daughter Lidwina, my wife. It appeared in Local
Media in the SundayTimes BusinessTimes
section on 2022 September 11th after the passing of QEII on September 8th.
An Unc Purple Rs 5 note dated 3rd June 1952
with Serial Number G/7 924349 sold on Heritage Auction
Lot 26324
for US$1800 in 2018 September.
The notes were scanned at 300 dpi and displayed at 50 dpi.
I thank Cedrian Lopez-Bosch (11817-R) for the engraver information
from Gene Hessler's book.
Back: Rectangular decorated border with Numeric Value in upper
two corners and both, right or none of lower corners. Centered in
border CENTRAL BANK OF CEYLON on top or bottom. In English
Text, Value RUPEES at Upper, lower, or right. Within border,
Top or Bottom, value in Sinhala
