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50 Cents Ragama store
| Issuer | Ceylon Ice & Cold Storage Co. Ltd. |
|---|---|
| Year | 1901 |
| Type | Vouchers |
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| Obverse description | Black letterpress on a red underprint with a tropical vignette in the background. The British Royal coat of arms appears at upper centre, with a circular guilloche medallion at left inscribed with the issuer's name and denomination "Value 50 cts.". Two manuscript signatures appear at lower right for Agents & Secretaries and Manager respectively. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Blank. |
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| Comments |
Private trade tokens issued as fractional currency by commercial enterprises were commonplace in colonial Ceylon, particularly where small-denomination coinage was chronically scarce. The Ceylon Ice & Cold Storage Co. Ltd. operated out of Ragama, a small town north of Colombo on the main railway line — the rail connection was essential for a business dependent on rapid ice distribution across the island.
These store notes circulated as scrip redeemable against purchases, not as legal tender. The Campbell reference for this piece suggests it is known but genuinely uncommon — most such scrip was redeemed and destroyed by the issuer rather than retained.