10 rupees 1964

Common. The 1964 10 Rupees note (Pick 64) from Ceylon's Central Bank is a standard circulation issue with no known print run restrictions, special recall status, or limited production characteristics. While the VF condition grade is desirable over lower grades, this denomination and date combination remains readily available in the collector market at modest valuations typical of mid-20th century Commonwealth currency. The absence of any catalog notes indicating rarity, combined with its role as a regular-issue banknote during an established period of Ceylon's central banking, confirms common status.

This 1964 banknote was issued during the early post-independence period of Ceylon (renamed Sri Lanka in 1972), when the Central Bank was establishing national currency authority following independence in 1948. The prominent portrait of Solomon West Ridgeway Dias Bandaranaike, Ceylon's first Prime Minister, reflects the nation's celebration of its founding political leadership during this formative era. The inclusion of traditional sculptural artwork on the reverse demonstrates Ceylon's emphasis on incorporating indigenous cultural heritage into its currency design, serving both as a symbol of national identity and as an educational representation of the island's rich artistic traditions.

The obverse (front) features a dignified profile portrait of Solomon West Ridgeway Dias Bandaranaike facing right, rendered in mauve/purple tones and wearing eyeglasses, positioned prominently on the left portion of the note. The central design element is an ornate emblem or state seal featuring intricate floral and geometric guilloche patterns in green coloring, symbolizing governmental authority. The reverse displays a sculptural relief artwork depicting multiple human figures in traditional Ceylonese dress or ceremonial attire, rendered as a cultural or religious tableau, reinforcing national heritage themes. The note employs a sophisticated color scheme of green as the primary color with complementary pink/mauve accents, decorative corner elements in all four corners, and extensive background text patterning throughout both sides. The overall design reflects the high standards of the British security printer Bradbury Wilkinson, known for fine line engraving and security-conscious currency design.

FRONT SIDE: 'TEN RUPEES' (English), 'ශ්‍රී ලංකා මතු බැංකුව' (Sinhala: 'Central Bank of Sri Lanka'), '1964' (year of issue), 'පතුර රුපාය' (Sinhala: 'Ten Rupees'), Serial number 'M 73 8943339'. BACK SIDE: '10' and 'TEN RUPEES' (English denomination markers), 'ශ්‍රී ලංකා මතු බැංකුව' (Sinhala: 'Central Bank of Sri Lanka'), 'පතුර රුපාය' (Sinhala: 'Ten Rupees'), with Tamil script also present. The bilingual/trilingual inscription pattern reflects Ceylon's linguistic diversity during this period.

Intaglio engraving (line engraving) on steel plates, executed by Bradbury Wilkinson & Co. of New Malden, England—one of the world's leading security printers. The visual analysis confirms extensive fine line engraving throughout, ornate guilloche patterns covering much of the background, and careful multi-color registration typical of high-security banknote production. The portrait rendering and sculptural relief details demonstrate the precision capabilities of Bradbury Wilkinson's engraving workshop during the 1960s.

The observed specimen carries serial number prefix 'M 73' with serial 8943339, indicating production from a standard printing batch. No overprints, commemorative markings, or date variations are visible. This represents a standard variety of the 1964 issue with no known significant varieties documented for Pick 64. The note exhibits characteristics consistent with regular production runs by Bradbury Wilkinson during 1964.