10 Cents Banknote (Government Of Ceylon King George Vi)

10 Cents Rupee (Issued 1942)

Ceylon’s wartime economy in 1942 was deeply entwined with the Allied war effort, its plantations producing tea, rubber, and coconut products that were critical strategic commodities for British imperial supply chains. The island’s ports at Colombo and Trincomalee served as vital naval bases in the Indian Ocean theatre, whilst domestic commerce continued to depend on a functioning monetary system even at the fractional level. Small-denomination notes such as this ten-cent issue were introduced to address the acute shortage of coinage that accompanied wartime metal requisitioning and disrupted supply routes. This Government of Ceylon fractional currency note represents both the pressures of a wartime economy and the administrative reach of colonial monetary governance.

On the front, the note is printed predominantly in violet and purple tones on cream paper, giving it a distinctly austere yet authoritative appearance consistent with wartime austerity printing. The central feature is an oval portrait of King George VI, rendered in fine intaglio-style engraving, depicting him in military uniform with decorations visible at his collar and chest. His likeness is set within an oval frame of fine guilloche-style ruling lines that create a decorative border around the portrait. At the top of the note, bold serif lettering reads “THE GOVERNMENT OF CEYLON” arranged across the full width, with the word “THE” centred above and flanked by the two halves of the issuing authority’s name. The denomination “TEN CENTS” appears twice in large, prominent capital lettering — once to the left of the portrait and once to the right — ensuring clear readability. In the upper corners, the numeral “10” in a serif typeface is repeated on both the left and right edges. To the left of the portrait, a legal tender declaration reads “THIS NOTE IS LEGAL TENDER FOR THE PAYMENT” and to the upper right the text states “OF AN AMOUNT NOT EXCEEDING FIVE RUPEES,” together forming a complete legal tender statement split across both sides of the central vignette. The issue date “14TH JULY 1942” is printed in clear type beneath the left denomination text. A facsimile signature appears to the lower right of the portrait, accompanied by the designation “COMMISSIONERS OF CURRENCY” printed in small capital letters. Along the lower portion of the note, a decorative band of geometric ornamental patterning in the same violet ink runs the full width, and within this band denomination text appears in Sinhala script on the left side and Tamil script on the right side, both identifying the ten-cent value in their respective languages.

The reverse of this note is strikingly plain, printed on the same cream-coloured paper stock as the front, with virtually no decorative design elements present. The dominant feature is the serial number, positioned in the lower-central area of the note and printed in dark brown or sepia ink. The serial number reads “A 42 323449,” with the prefix “A” and the two-digit code “42” appearing in a slightly smaller typeface above and to the left of the main six-digit numeral sequence. The paper itself shows faint vertical fold lines and slight show-through from the printed face, which is characteristic of the lightweight, economical paper used for this wartime fractional issue. There is no additional imagery, text, or decorative guilloche work on the reverse, reflecting the simplified production standards necessitated by wartime conditions.

Webuyallcurrency.com makes it easy to exchange old coins and banknotes — a 10 Cents Government of Ceylon banknote from Sri Lanka is accepted with other old or withdrawn Sri Lankan Rupees banknotes and converted into cash in one go.

• Indicate the quantity of 10 Cents Rupee banknotes you want to exchange
• Click the ‘Add to your account’ button
• Your online account now shows the exchange value

From leftover holiday money to inherited collections, Webuyallcurrency.com will exchange or buy your Sri Lankan Rupees banknotes and other foreign currency, handling old and withdrawn pieces in the same simple process.

Other Sri Lankan Rupees you can exchange: 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200.