5 Rupees Central Bank Of Ceylon Banknote (Swrd Bandaranaike Portrait Series)

5 Rupees Rupee (Issued 1962)

Few post-independence South Asian banknotes capture a transitional moment in monetary history quite as precisely as the 1962 Central Bank of Ceylon five rupee note, which bridges the colonial-era design vocabulary with the newly sovereign nation’s emerging visual identity. A currency specialist examining this note would immediately be drawn to the engraved portrait on the right-hand side, printed in a deep, warm red that dominates the entire face of the note. The date visible on the note reads 1964 · 6 · 12, indicating this particular example was signed and issued slightly later within the series, adding a layer of documentary precision that appeals to serious collectors of South Asian monetary history. The note’s combination of Sinhala and Tamil denomination inscriptions alongside English text reflects Ceylon’s trilingual constitutional reality of the period.

On the front, the dominant design is executed entirely in shades of deep red and brick-red ink on cream paper, with the central right section featuring a finely engraved portrait of Dudley Senanayake, Prime Minister of Ceylon, depicted in a formal three-quarter view facing left, wearing spectacles and a suit. The engraving is rendered with considerable detail, capturing the texture of fabric and the clarity of his facial features through fine intaglio line work. The upper portion of the note carries the issuing authority name in Sinhala script running across the top border, which translates as the Central Bank of Ceylon, flanked on either side by the numeral 5 set within intricately detailed geometric cartouches filled with fine engine-turned guilloché patterning. The words “FIVE RUPEES” are printed in clear serif capitals in the upper-left field, while denomination text in Sinhala script appears centrally below, followed by Tamil script text towards the lower-right reading the denomination in that language. A serial number, C/79 396481, appears twice — once in the upper-right corner and again in the lower-left — printed in red. The central text block contains several lines of Sinhala script, likely comprising the legal tender declaration and issue conditions. Below this text, the printed date 1964 · 6 · 12 is clearly visible, followed by two facsimile signatures in black ink alongside printed designations in Sinhala script identifying the signatories’ official roles. The border of the note is framed by a repeated pattern of fine geometric ornamental detailing, giving the overall composition a structured, formal appearance consistent with mid-twentieth-century South Asian central bank design conventions.

The reverse is printed in a two-colour scheme combining red and green inks on the same cream paper stock. The upper border repeats the Sinhala script name of the Central Bank of Ceylon framed within a row of square ornamental devices rendered in green. The words “FIVE RUPEES” appear in the upper-left in green serif lettering, and the numeral 5 is positioned in each of the four corners within guilloché-patterned cartouches. The central design element is a large, finely engraved depiction of an ancient stone statue — a tall standing figure carved in classical Sri Lankan sculptural style, positioned within what appears to be a carved stone architectural niche or doorway surround, rendered in deep red intaglio engraving with considerable tonal depth. To the right of this central image, the remaining two-thirds of the reverse field is occupied by dense text in Sinhala and Tamil scripts, printed in green, likely constituting the legal tender notice and conditions of the note in both official languages. Denomination inscriptions in Sinhala script and Tamil script also appear on the left side below the “FIVE RUPEES” heading, repeating the trilingual identity of the issue. The overall reverse composition balances cultural heritage imagery with official legislative text in a format characteristic of Central Bank of Ceylon notes from this era.

Got a 5 Rupees Central Bank of Ceylon banknote sitting unused? Webuyallcurrency.com will exchange it for cash alongside your other Sri Lankan Rupees banknotes and any leftover foreign currency, in one convenient online step.

• Indicate the quantity of 5 Rupees Rupee banknotes you want to exchange
• Click the ‘Add to your account’ button
• Your online account now shows the exchange value

Webuyallcurrency.com helps you exchange old coins and banknotes with no fuss, combining your Sri Lankan Rupees banknotes with other foreign currency into a single, hassle-free cash exchange.

Other Sri Lankan Rupees you can exchange: 0.1, 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200.