50 Rupees Central Bank Of Ceylon Banknote (King Parakramabahu I Statue)

50 Rupees Rupee (Issued 1969)

Surviving examples of the 1969-dated 50 Rupees note issued by the Central Bank of Ceylon are thought to number only in the hundreds in genuinely well-preserved condition, given that the denomination circulated actively throughout the early 1970s and was subject to considerable wear before its eventual withdrawal. Ceylon’s transition to the Republic of Sri Lanka in 1972 rendered much of this earlier series obsolete, and many notes were returned to the banking system and destroyed rather than retained. The combination of high face value encouraging heavy use, tropical climate conditions accelerating paper deterioration, and the political transformation of the issuing state has made even circulated examples increasingly difficult to locate. Historians and researchers of South Asian monetary history regard this issue as a tangible record of Ceylon’s final years as an independent Commonwealth realm.

On the front, the note is printed in a palette dominated by deep violet-purple and pale blue-grey, with a lighter cream ground across the central field. The upper register carries the issuing authority’s name — CENTRAL BANK OF CEYLON — in bold Roman lettering, flanked to either side by the numeral 50 set within ornate cartouches. Above the English text, the institution’s name is repeated in Sinhala script and Tamil script, reflecting the bilingual character of Ceylonese state printing of the period. The central portion of the note carries a prominent statue figure in violet engraving: this is a representation of King Parakramabahu I, the great 12th-century Sinhalese monarch associated with the Polonnaruwa civilisation, depicted in the traditional style of the famous granite rock statue at Polonnaruwa, shown seated with a scroll or yoke-like object held in both arms. The figure is rendered with fine intaglio-style shading, giving the stonework texture considerable depth. To the left of centre, a broad text panel in Sinhala script — reading රුපියල් පනහයි — announces the denomination in the national language, printed in bold red-purple type against the pale ground. The serial number S/102 78221 appears twice, once in the lower left quadrant and once to the upper right, both in black numerals. The date 1969-10-20 is printed in black in the lower-central section alongside two printed facsimile signatures in black, accompanied by their respective Sinhala-script designations indicating the signatories’ official positions. A further line of Tamil text and the English inscription FIFTY RUPEES appear along the lower border, with the Tamil text reading அம்பது ரூபாய். The borders of the note are framed by repeating ornamental guilloche band-work in blue, incorporating fine geometric rosette and foliate patterns that frame the entire composition and provide visual security against reproduction. The paper itself carries a watermark visible when held to light.

The reverse is printed predominantly in shades of teal blue and warm ochre-gold, creating a two-toned composition of considerable visual distinction. The central and left portions of the note are dominated by an engraved architectural scene depicting the Moonstone and the ancient stone steps of the Polonnaruwa or Anuradhapura ruins — specifically showing a broad ceremonial stone staircase rising in tiered steps to the left, and in the foreground a finely detailed semicircular moonstone (sandakada pahana), the ornamental carved threshold stone characteristic of ancient Sinhalese Buddhist architecture. The moonstone is rendered with concentric band detail and decorative motifs clearly visible in the engraving. To the right of this architectural vignette, a large circular panel is filled with dense micro-text in Sinhala script, forming a security text block that serves as an anti-counterfeiting device. The upper portion of the reverse repeats the trilingual institutional identification: Sinhala script at the top, followed by Tamil script, and then CENTRAL BANK OF CEYLON in Roman capitals. The numeral 50 appears in the upper left and upper right corners within simple panel frames. Along the lower border, the denomination is stated again in Tamil as இம்பது ரூபாய் and in English as FIFTY RUPEES, with the Sinhala equivalent රේඛල් පනහයි appearing in a panel at the foot of the note. Vertical ornamental side borders repeat the guilloche band pattern seen on the obverse, maintaining visual consistency across both faces of the note.

If you have a 50 Rupees Central Bank of Ceylon banknote to exchange, Webuyallcurrency.com takes it as part of its leftover currency service, combining your Sri Lankan Rupees banknotes with other world coins and banknotes in one easy payout.

• Indicate the quantity of 50 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, 5, 10, 20, 100, 200.