Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
5 Rupees Diyatalawa; PoW Camp
| Issuer | Officer in Charge of Prisoners of War, Diyatalawa |
|---|---|
| Year | 1901 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | 114 x 83 mm |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Black letterpress on tan paper with blue underprint. The British Royal coat of arms appears at upper centre, flanked by serial numbers at left and right. A central ornate cartouche with scrollwork frame carries the denomination in blue print, with "GOOD FOR" above and a three-line restriction notice below. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Blank. |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | Log in to see details |
| Variants | Log in to see details |
| Comments |
Diyatalawa camp in Ceylon's hill country held Boer prisoners captured during the South African war, and this 5 Rupee note was issued as internal scrip to allow inmates to conduct basic commerce within the compound. The Officer in Charge — not a bank, not a treasury — was the issuing authority, which places this firmly in the category of military necessity rather than monetary policy.
Printed on-site at Diyatalawa rather than by an established press, production quality is accordingly rough. These camp issues were not redeemable beyond the wire, and almost none re-entered formal circulation after repatriation began in 1902.