1000 Rupees

The Government of Ceylon's 1000 Rupee note of 1929 sits at the top of a series that predates the establishment of the Central Bank of Ceylon by over two decades — currency authority remained with the colonial government until 1950. At this denomination, the note would have been used almost exclusively for inter-bank settlements and large mercantile transactions; ordinary circulation was never a realistic prospect. De La Rue's London work on this series is characteristically fine, though the real scarcity here is structural rather than accidental.

Surviving examples are exceptionally rare. High-denomination colonial issues were routinely recalled and destroyed once redeemed, and the low print runs for 1000 Rupee notes meant little redundancy in the first place.