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5 Cents
| Issuer | Government of Ceylon |
|---|---|
| Year | 1942 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 5 Cents (0.05) |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | The central vignette consists of two superimposed postal stamp impressions side by side — a 2-cent and a 3-cent stamp, each bearing a portrait of King George VI in oval frame with the inscription CEYLON and the respective denomination. The denomination 5c appears in each corner, with the date June 1, 1942 and the designation Commissioners of Currency at the lower centre, flanked by serial number characters in both Western and Sinhalese numerals along the left and right margins. Two manuscript signatures of the Commissioners of Currency appear below the stamp vignettes. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | THE GOVERNMENT OF CEYLON This note is legal tender for the payment of a sum not exceeding Five Rupees June 1, 1942 Commissioners of Currency 5c CEYLON TWO CENTS THREE CENTS |
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| Comments |
Ceylon's wartime fractional notes were a direct consequence of Japanese advances through Southeast Asia. With Japanese forces threatening supply lines and coin metal reserved for the war effort, the Government of Ceylon issued a series of small paper denominations in 1942 to replace bronze and cupro-nickel coinage in everyday transactions.
P#42 was printed by the Survey Department of Ceylon rather than an outside security printer — an unusual arrangement driven by wartime necessity and the practical unavailability of British printing facilities.