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5 Rupees
| Issuer | Oriental Bank Corporation, Haldamulle |
|---|---|
| Year | 1870-1880 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | The upper portion of the note carries a central vignette of the Royal Arms supported by a lion and a unicorn beneath a crown, flanked by two circular guilloche medallions each inscribed FIVE RUPEES. Script legends in Sinhalese appear at upper left and right. Below the vignette, the place and date line reads HALDAMULLE, CEYLON followed by a manuscript date, above the bold letterpress legend THE ORIENTAL BANK CORPORATION. A cursive promise-to-pay text in the lower register states the obligation to pay the bearer on demand at their branch or at their Bank in Colombo FIVE RUPEES value received, with signature lines for the Accountant and Agent at foot. |
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| Obverse lettering | FIVE RUPEES INCORPORATED BY ROYAL CHARTER HALDAMULLE, CEYLON THE ORIENTAL BANK CORPORATION Promise to pay the Bearer on demand at their Branch here, or at their Bank in Colombo FIVE RUPEES Value received By order of the Court of Directors Ent'd Account Agent |
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| Comments |
The Oriental Bank Corporation was one of the most aggressive of the nineteenth-century British overseas banks, with operations stretching from Mauritius to Japan. Its Ceylon branches issued notes denominated in rupees for local circulation, but the bank's collapse in May 1884 was sudden and total — it was placed into liquidation after a cascade of bad loans in India and a run on deposits that its capital base could not survive. Any notes that remained outstanding at that point became worthless.
Haldamulle was a minor plantation district, which makes this issuing location unusual within the series. Most surviving OBC Ceylon notes bear Colombo or Kandy as the place of payment.