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10 Rupees
| Issuer | Oriental Bank Corporation, Kandy |
|---|---|
| Year | 1851-1880 |
| Type | Pattern or trial banknote |
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| Obverse description | Horizontal format note with the Royal Arms vignette at top centre, flanked by a lion and unicorn supporters beneath a crown, with the inscription INCORPORATED BY ROYAL CHARTER above. Oval denomination panels reading TEN RUPEES appear at upper left and upper right, with Tamil and Sinhalese script legends flanking the central vignette. The main text body carries the promise-to-pay clause in copperplate script, naming KANDY, CEYLON with a manuscript date of 15th March 1866, the issuer's name THE ORIENTAL BANK CORPORATION in bold letterpress, and the payable text TEN RUPEES or the equivalent in the Currency of this Island, Value received, followed by By order of the Court of Directors. |
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| Obverse lettering | TEN RUPEES INCORPORATED BY ROYAL CHARTER THE ORIENTAL BANK CORPORATION Promise to pay the Bearer on demand at their Branch here, or at their Bank in Colombo TEN RUPEES or the equivalent in the Currency of this Island. Value received. By order of the Court of Directors. KANDY, CEYLON No Ent. Account Manager |
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| Comments |
The Oriental Bank Corporation was a British overseas bank chartered in 1851, operating across India, Ceylon, China, and parts of East Africa at its peak. The Kandy branch note is among the more geographically specific issues in the OBC series — Ceylon branches were authorized to issue their own notes, resulting in distinct place-of-payment designations across Colombo, Kandy, Galle, and others. Kandy, the former capital of the Kandyan Kingdom, became a commercial hub after the British formally annexed the interior in 1815.
The OBC collapsed in 1884, and unissued stock was largely destroyed. Surviving issued notes from the Kandy branch are considerably scarcer than Colombo equivalents.