10 cents 1943
About This Note
This Government of Ceylon 10 Cents note from 1943 (Pick P-43b) features a striking portrait of King George VI in military dress uniform with medals, rendered in blue-grey and sepia tones with ornate decorative borders. The note exhibits moderate age-related wear including creasing, foxing, and discoloration consistent with its 80-year history, placing it firmly in VG (Very Good) condition—a respectable grade for notes of this vintage that shows genuine circulation use without severe damage.
Common. The 10 Cents denomination from 1943-1944 was issued in substantial quantities as fractional currency for everyday transactions in Ceylon. Notes of this denomination from this period appear regularly in the numismatic market. The VG condition grade, while respectable, is not exceptionally scarce, and such notes typically trade for modest premiums reflecting their age rather than rarity.
Issued by the Government of Ceylon on December 23, 1943, during World War II, this fractional note represents the wartime currency of the British dominion. The portrait of George VI in military uniform reflects the heightened martial context of the era, while the trilingual inscriptions in English, Sinhala, and Tamil demonstrate Ceylon's multicultural administration under British rule during the final years before independence in 1948.
The obverse features a formal circular portrait of King George VI depicted in profile facing right, wearing a military dress uniform adorned with medals and insignia, reflecting his role as the reigning monarch during the Second World War. The portrait is enclosed in an ornamental circular frame and surrounded by intricate decorative scrollwork, floral motifs, and elaborate borders characteristic of early 20th-century Commonwealth currency design. The denomination 'TEN CENTS' appears prominently at top and bottom, with legal tender declarations and the issue date of December 23, 1943 placed around the design. The reverse is relatively plain, displaying only the serial number 'A 61 602602' with letter prefix against aged paper, typical of fractional currency notes of the period.
Front side: 'THE GOVERNMENT OF CEYLON' (issuing authority); 'THIS NOTE IS LEGAL TENDER FOR THE PAYMENT OF AN AMOUNT NOT EXCEEDING FIVE RUPEES' (legal tender declaration); 'TEN CENTS' (denomination, appears twice); '23RD DECEMBER 1943' (issue date); 'COMMISSIONERS OF CURRENCY' (authority signature line); 'ශ්රී ලංකා' in Sinhala (Sri Lanka); Tamil script present. Back side: 'A 61 602602' (serial number with letter prefix A).
Intaglio engraving (line engraving), evidenced by the fine line work, intricate decorative patterns, and sharp detail visible in the portrait and borders. The Ceylon Government Notes were typically produced by Thomas De La Rue & Company, the principal security printer for Commonwealth currencies during this period, though specific attribution should be confirmed by catalogue sources.
Serial number prefix 'A 61' indicates this specific printing batch. The date of 23rd December 1943 confirms this as the 1943 variety (Pick P-43b) rather than the 1942 issue (P-43a). The trilingual inscriptions (English, Sinhala, Tamil) are standard for this series. No overprints or unusual security markings are evident in the visual analysis.
