The Oriental Bank Corporation
1881-1884 - Kandy

Currency Notes in Rupees issued from 1881 to 1884 by The Oriental Bank Corporation for Kandy, with an engraving of Royal Crest.

Denomination: 5 Rupees
Shade Color: Red
Value Color: Pink
English : Five Rupees
Sinhala රුපියල්පහයි
Thamil ஐந்துரூபாய்
Size : 161 x 127 mm
Date : 1st January 1881
Status : Signed
images/obc/1881_obc_kan_5r_160090080_f.jpg&images/obc/1881-01-01_obc_kan_5r_rcf.jpg
Click to see image of signed note. Pick-lk S162
Denomination: 10 Rupees
Shade Color: Brown
Value Color: Orange
English : Ten Rupees
Sinhala රුපියල්දහයයි
Thamil பத்துரூபாய்
Size : 201 x 126 mm
Date : 1st January 1881
Status : Signed
images/obc/1881-01-01_obc_kan_10r_rcf.jpg
Click front for Specimen with 1881 Serial # range Pick-lk Unlisted
Denomination: 50 Rupees
Shade Color: Blue
Value Color: Brown
English : Fifty Rupees
Sinhala රුපියල්පනහයි
Thamil ஐம்பதுரூபாய்
Size : 200 x 128 mm
Date : 1st March 1884
Status : Specimen
Denomination: 100 Rupees
Shade Color: Green
Value Color: Pink
English : Hundred Rupees
Sinhala රුපියල්සියයයි
Thamil நூறுரூபாய்
Size : 207 x 129 mm
Date : 1st January 1881
Status : Specimen
images/obc/1881-01-01_obc_kan_100r_rcf.jpg
Click front for Specimen with 1881 Serial # range - Pick-lk Unlisted

Front : Decorative vertical panels on either side with Numeric value on top and bottom Guilloche with engraving in central ellipse. Repeated Microprinting of value as Numeric and in English. Panel on left has Crowned Empress Victoria seated on throne with a seven arced shell behind. A scroll in her left hand and chalis(?) in her right hand. Standing lion on either and Sailing boat on left, Coconut palm and building on right. A basket of fruit at her feet. The panel on right Bust of Mercury with caduceus. In centered Decorative horizontal panels KANDY on top and and CEYLON at bottom. Within panels on top Center, arced name THE ORIENTAL BANK CORPORATION with legend INCORPORATED BY ROYAL CHARTER below. Crowned British Royal Coat of arms within oblate belt with legend HONO SOIT QUI MAL Y PENSE supported by rampant lion crowned facing forward on left and unicorn chained with garter on right. Lion standing left on crown. Below DIEU ET MON DROIT in scroll.
On either side Denomination රුපියල් Denomination in Sinhala on left and Denomination ரூபாய் in Thamil on right, with Seriel No below. Within color shaded rectangle
Promise to pay the Bearer on demand at their Branch here or at their Bank in Colombo DENOMINATION RUPEES , Value received
Below KANDY with date as day month year. At center huge value in words RUPEES outlined in another Color, and taller than shaded region overlays it, Branch and date, as well as lower part of coart of arms. Below By Order of the Court of Directors
below on right ______ MANAGER
below which on left ENTD _____ ACCOUNTT.
At bottom centered just below horizontal decorate in small script
BRADBURY WILKINSON & Co ENGRAVERS &c, LONDON..
Back : On a elaborate decorate of full back of currency Notes the value in Rupees Numerically and in all three languages, English repeated many times in small and micro text and once prominently in Sinhala and Thamil. Two identical Medallic busts face each in middle. Detailed design of back of each denomination is different from each other in color and detail.
Denomination Rs 5 Rs 10 Rs 50 Rs 100
Color Vertical bandsBlue-Red-BlueRed-Blue-RedBrown-Green-BrownGreen-Brown-Green
Pair of Busts Lady with hatGent with helmetGent with winged capLady with hair bun
Sinhala Text Center Upper left middle left middle Center Upper Arc down
Thamil Text Center lower right middleright middle Center lower Arc^nbsp;up
Large Numeric value 8 7 6 5

Watermark : ORIENTAL BANK in downward arc above CORPORATION in line below darker than paper (need to confirm)
Printer : Bradbury Wilkinson & Co, London.
Size : Estimated assuming Frame is same as circulated Rs 5 note measured from the Colombo National Museum Collection, and assuming size was adopted in inches. On other denominations the design Frame was assumed to be of same height.

The Rs 5 note is 14% less wide, and the vertical panel on left has been made narrower. Only part of the engraving of Mercury is shown.

Only Colombo and Kandy Branch notes are signed by Manager. The Notes of other branches signed by Agent. The Notes printed for Colombo don't have phrase or at their Bank in Colombo.

Spink catalog says that Rs 50 and Rs 100 notes were issued for Kandy Branch, but is not specific of dates. Pick (KM-S) catalog does not list them. Neither of them catalogs recognize that there is a slight difference in wording of Date and Text between the Oriental Bank issues of 1850's, 1860's and 1870's.

Text and Images from Spink Auction listings Rs 5 and Rs 10 and Rs 100.
Images estimated to be 154(Rs5), 290(Rs10) and 61(Rs100) dpi and displayed at 50 dpi.

Known Denomination, Date and Serial Numbers

1881-1884 Kandy -       Rs   5  1881-01-01   K240001-K360000 K246396 K273678 K283327 (KNM)
          Kandy -       Rs  10  1881-01-01   K110001-K185000 K124817
          Kandy -       Rs  50  1881-01-01   K004001-K005500
          Kandy -       Rs 100  1881-01-01   K002001-K003500
If you know of a Rs 5 Rs 10, Rs50 and Rs100 note issued by Oriental Bank Corporation in Kandy with date between 1881 and 1884 unrecorded above, Please contact kavan @ gmail.com with an image. Thank You