1 rupee 1945
About This Note
This is a Government of Ceylon 1 Rupee banknote dated 24 June 1945 (Pick P-34), featuring a portrait of King George VI in military dress on the obverse and an intricately engraved elephant's head among palm fronds on the reverse. The note exhibits honest F (Fair) condition with extensive foxing, tan and brown staining, and age-related discoloration typical of a note nearly 80 years old, though structural integrity remains sound. The purple and green color scheme, fine line engraving, and dual-language inscriptions (English and Sinhala) represent the transitional currency design of Ceylon during the final years of colonial rule.
Common. The 1 Rupee note from the 1941-1949 series (P-34) was widely circulated and produced in substantial quantities by the Government of Ceylon. Notes from this denomination and period are regularly encountered in the numismatic market. Fair condition examples are particularly common as these notes have been in circulation for nearly 80 years and show typical wear patterns. There is no evidence of limited print runs, recall status, or special scarcity that would elevate this to uncommon or rare status.
This note was issued during the later stages of British colonial rule in Ceylon (modern-day Sri Lanka), specifically in 1945 as World War II concluded. The prominent depiction of King George VI on the obverse reflects Ceylon's status as a British dominion at the time, while the elephant imagery on the reverse celebrates the island's iconic fauna and cultural heritage. The shift to legal tender language ('THIS NOTE IS LEGAL TENDER...') rather than the earlier promise-to-pay format (as seen on P-30) indicates the Government of Ceylon's assertion of greater monetary authority in the immediate post-war period, just two years before independence in 1948.
The obverse features a formal three-quarter profile portrait of King George VI rendered within an ornate circular frame, depicted in military full dress uniform with elaborate collar detailing and insignia. The portrait is positioned on the left side of the note with decorative heraldic borders in purple and green tones framing the design, including floral and geometric ornamental patterns at the corners. A blank circular space (watermark area) appears on the right side. The reverse showcases a finely engraved scene dominated by an elephant's head in left-facing profile, rendered with naturalistic detail including visible tusks and facial musculature, surrounded by tropical palm fronds and vegetation suggesting Ceylon's natural landscape. Both sides employ symmetrical corner ornaments and top/bottom decorative borders in the classical engraved banknote style. The color scheme utilizes purple, green, black, and cream tones.
Front Side: 'GOVERNMENT OF CEYLON' (English) | 'THIS NOTE IS LEGAL TENDER FOR THE PAYMENT OF ANY AMOUNT OF' (English) | 'ONE RUPEE' (English) | '24TH JUNE 1945' (English) | 'COMMISSIONERS OF CURRENCY' (English) | Serial Number: 'A 54 259708' | 'ශ්රී ලංකා' (Sinhala: 'Sri Lanka'). Back Side: 'GOVERNMENT OF CEYLON' (English) | 'ELEPHANT'S HEAD' (English) | 'ශ්රී ලංකා' (Sinhala: 'Sri Lanka'). All inscriptions appear in both English and Sinhala, reflecting the bilingual policy of Ceylon's government.
Intaglio engraving (line engraving), characteristic of high-security banknote production in the 1940s. The fine line work, portrait detail, and ornamental borders visible in the visual analysis are consistent with steel plate intaglio printing. The note was produced by the Commissioners of Currency, Government of Ceylon. This series was likely printed by a British security printer such as De La Rue or Bradbury Wilkinson, typical of dominion banknote production during this era, though the specific printer attribution is not definitively confirmed from the visual evidence.
Serial number prefix 'A 54' with number '259708'. The date '24TH JUNE 1945' is consistent with the P-34 catalog assignment. This note represents the standard legal tender variety of the 1945-dated Ceylon 1 Rupee (distinguishing it from the earlier P-30 which bears 'PROMISES TO PAY...' language). No overprints or special markings are observed. The Sinhala inscription 'ශ්රී ලංකා' appears on both sides, consistent with the bilingual standard for this series.
