Greysheet Catalog Details
Prior to 1825, the public accounts of Ceylon were kept in rixdollars, fanams, stuivers, pice, and challies, but thereafter the accounts in all colonies were kept in sterling pounds, shillings, and pence, the currency of the United Kingdom. By regulation 8 of 1827, government notes to the amount of £90,000,000 were authorized in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 25, and 50 pounds, although only the three lowest denominations are known to exist. By regulation 9 of 1827, all Dutch notes expressed in rix dollars were withdrawn, with the exception of the 2- and 5-rix dollar notes which were valued at 3 shillings and 7 shilling 6 pence, respectively (these denominations were withdrawn 1 September 1830). The Ceylon sterling currency notes which replaced old rix dollars were printed by Perkins, Bacon & Petch of London, and signed and dated by two authorized officers at the time of issue. The government ceased issuing its own notes on 1 January 1856, though private banks (the Oriental Bank Corporation and the Chartered Mercantile Bank of India, London, and China) continued to issue notes which were not legal tender, but which circulated widely.