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10 Rupees
| Issuer | Oriental Bank Corporation, Jaffna |
|---|---|
| Year | 1881-1884 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Rupee (1862-date) |
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| Obverse description | The obverse is printed in black on cream paper and laid out in a symmetrical horizontal format. At centre, a handwritten promise-to-pay text reads 'Promise to pay the Bearer on demand at their Branch here or at their Bank in Colombo Ten Rupees Value received', with the Jaffna branch designation and a manuscript date; above this text the Royal Arms vignette of the Oriental Bank Corporation appears flanked by serial numbers in two series. To the left is an oval intaglio vignette of a seated deity or classical female figure on a throne, while to the right a complementary oval vignette shows a standing female figure; denomination numerals '10' appear in all four corners within ornate guilloche cartouches, with 'TEN' lettered vertically on each lateral border. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | THE ORIENTAL BANK CORPORATION INCORPORATED BY ROYAL CHARTER Promise to pay the Bearer on demand at their Branch here or at their Bank in Colombo TEN RUPEES Value received JAFFNA CEYLON BY & Co LONDON 10 TEN |
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| Comments |
The Oriental Bank Corporation was a British overseas bank chartered in 1851 and operating across India, Ceylon, and the Far East — until it collapsed spectacularly in May 1884, one of the most dramatic bank failures of the Victorian era. The Jaffna branch was among its Ceylon operations, and notes issued from that office in the early 1880s were still in local circulation when the insolvency struck, leaving holders without recourse.
The failure was triggered by bad loans in Mauritius and a collapse of confidence that spread faster than the bank's ability to manage it. Notes from this terminal period of issue are genuinely uncommon survivors.