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5 Rix Dollars
| Issuer | General Treasury of Ceylon |
|---|---|
| Year | 1809-1826 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | Plain uncoloured note with handwritten date and serial number at upper left, alongside a small oval vignette of a seated classical figure within a wreath at left. The central text panel, rendered in copperplate script, reads the promise to pay the bearer on demand five Rix Dollars in copper money at the exchange of forty-eight rivier for one Rix Dollar, on presenting at the General Treasury. A boxed denomination panel at lower left reads "RIX DOLLARS / Five", with a manuscript signature to the right and a second countersignature notation at lower left. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Colombo The Government of Ceylon promises to pay to the Bearer on demand, the Sum of FIVE Rix Dollars in Copper Money at the Exchange of Forty Eight Rivier for One Rix Dollar, on presenting this at the General Treasury. COLOMBO RIX DOLLARS Five |
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| Comments |
The Rix Dollar was a Dutch colonial currency inherited by British Ceylon after the 1796 takeover, and the General Treasury continued issuing notes denominated in it for three decades rather than immediately imposing sterling. This was a pragmatic concession to local commerce — the Rix Dollar had deep roots in the island's trade networks and abrupt replacement would have been disruptive. Britain finally demonetized it in 1828, fixing the exchange at 1s 6d per Rix Dollar, a rate widely considered unfavorable to holders.
Locally printed in Colombo rather than London, production quality was necessarily modest. The series ran across a remarkably long window for a transitional currency.