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10 Cents Ragama; PoW Camp
| Issuer | Prisoners of War Camp, Ragama |
|---|---|
| Year | 1901 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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| Obverse description | Pink guilloche underprint with black and red letterpress print. The British Royal coat of arms appears at upper centre, flanked by serial numbers at upper left and right. A central ornate black vignette cartouche with scrollwork surrounds the red denomination text, with a handwritten signature of the Camp Commandant at lower right. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Unprinted reverse on plain paper, showing age toning and fold marks consistent with circulation within the camp enclosure. |
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| Comments |
Ragama, north of Colombo, held Boer prisoners captured during the South African War — one of several camps Britain established in Ceylon to reduce overcrowding in South Africa. This 10 Cents note was issued as internal camp scrip, allowing prisoners to make small purchases within the camp canteen system without handling sterling currency. The British authorities ran similar scrip arrangements at camps in Bermuda, St. Helena, and India, though surviving Ceylon examples are considerably scarcer.
Campbell 4817 is the standard reference. Paper camp issues from Ragama are routinely found with heavy handling damage — the scrip circulated intensively within a confined population before the camp closed in 1902.