50 Cents Banknote (Government Of Ceylon King George Vi)

50 Cents Rupee (Issued 1942-1949)

Wartime and post-war fractional currency issued by the Government of Ceylon relied primarily on the quality of its engraved printing and the distinctive properties of the paper itself as its principal anti-counterfeiting measures, at a time when full security threads were not yet standard on low-denomination fractional notes. The crisp intaglio-style engraving characteristic of this issue created a tactile relief that was difficult to reproduce by ordinary printing methods of the era. The paper carries a pale, cream-toned ground that shows natural fibre texture consistent with the controlled paper stocks used for British colonial currency production during this period. These measures, modest by modern standards, were nonetheless considered sufficient for a fractional denomination intended for everyday circulation in wartime Ceylon.

On the front, the note is printed predominantly in shades of deep purple and mauve on a pale cream background, giving the design a dignified and authoritative appearance typical of British colonial currency of the 1940s. The central left portion of the note is dominated by a finely engraved oval portrait of King George VI, shown in military dress uniform with medals and decorations visible at his chest, rendered with considerable detail and tonal depth through close engraving lines that capture the contours of his face and the texture of his uniform. To the right of the portrait, the issuing authority is stated prominently at the top in capital serif lettering reading “THE GOVERNMENT OF Ceylon”, beneath which a legal tender declaration reads “THIS NOTE IS LEGAL TENDER FOR THE PAYMENT OF AN AMOUNT NOT EXCEEDING FIVE RUPEES”. The denomination “FIFTY CENTS” is printed in large, bold capital letters across the centre of the note, with a guilloché-patterned circular motif visible to the right side of the design, within which the numeral “50” and the word “CENTS” are printed in an overlapping, decorative style. The denomination “50c” also appears in smaller print at the upper left and upper right corners of the note. A date of “1st DECEMBER 1949” is printed below the central denomination text, accompanied by two handwritten signatures above the printed designation “COMMISSIONERS OF CURRENCY”. At the lower portion of the note, a pale rectangular panel contains denomination text rendered in Sinhala script and Tamil script, identifying the value in both official languages of Ceylon. The outer border of the note features a fine repeated geometric pattern forming a decorative frame around the entire design.

The reverse of this note is notably plain, presenting an unprinted cream and pale buff surface that shows the natural texture and ageing of the paper, with visible horizontal fold lines and slight surface toning consistent with a note that has passed through circulation. The only printed element on the reverse is the serial number, positioned in the lower centre of the note and reading “A/48 458988” in dark brown serif typeface, with the prefix “A/48” in smaller characters above the main six-digit number. This minimal reverse design was characteristic of small fractional denominations of this era, where printing costs and the lower value of the note made a fully designed reverse unnecessary. The paper itself shows a warm, aged cream tone with subtle variations in surface colour across the sheet.

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Other Sri Lankan Rupees you can exchange: 0.1, 0.25, 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200.