Bradbury Wilkinson Essay for
Central Bank of Ceylon
with date 1971-2-15

A series of notes designed for the readoption of the SWRD Image after the landslide return in 1970 May of the SLFP Government led by Prime Minister Mrs Sirimavo Bandaranaike.

No Sri Lanka currency Notes were issued with that date and the existing design with the drawing of statue of Sage Pulasthi in medieval city of Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka as adopted for notes of all denomination notes in 1964, continued for the lower denominations with post 1970 election date of 1971-2-1.

The rushed issue of 1970 high denominations was given to Thomas de La Rue Company Limited to keep the demonetization confidential. These proposed essays returned the Printing of Ceylon Banknotes to Bradbury Wilkinson which had printed all the BankNotes since the inception of the Central Bank in 1950. The Rs 100 was issued with this front but a different back starting with date 1971-12-18.

Denomination : 2 Rupees Base Color : Dark Brown & Black Under-print : Pink, Blue & Yellow English : Two Rupees Sinhala :  රුපියල් දෙකයි Thamil : இரண்டு ரூபாய் Size :  114x 59 mm Online Auction Front Pictorial :  Leaves with stem on lower left. Back Pictorial  :  Burger(with Shoes), Muslim(with Fez-cap), Tamil couple(dot on forehead) and a Sinhala boy raising a Sri Lanka Flag on left. Large Sun image with micro-printing on right.
Denomination : 2 Rupees Base Color : Dark Green Under-print : Pink, Blue & Yellow English : Two Rupees Sinhala :  රුපියල් දෙකයි Thamil : இரண்டு ரூபாய் Size :  114x 59 mm Spink Auction 14008 lot 237 Front Pictorial :  Sheaf of Paddy with leaves on lower left. Back Pictorial  :  Farmer plowing with a pair of Buffalo a Paddy Field with a Coconut Estate in background
Denomination : 5 Rupees Base Color : Dark Blue & Brown Under-print : Pink, Blue & Yellow Sinhala :  රුපියල් පහයි Thamil : ஐந்து ரூபாய் Size :  125x 64 mm Spink Auction 15008 lot 1670 Front Pictorial :  Cattleliya Orchids with leaves on lower left. Back Pictorial  :  Coastal Scene with few catamarans drawn up on the shoreline, two huts and a Coconut trees.
Denomination : 10 Rupees Base Color : Purple and Dark Green Under-print : Pink, Green & Yellow English : Ten Rupees Sinhala :  රුපියල් දහයයි Thamil : பத்து ரூபாய் Size :  140x 70 mm Spink Auction 14008 lot 238 Front Pictorial :  On lower left : Upper : Berries with leaves. Lower : Leaves with stem Back Pictorial  :  Upper : Tea estate with a pair of aged Tea Pluckers in white Jackets and purple and orange Saris with the SiriPada Mountain Range in Background. Lower :Rubber plantation with Rubber tappers female on left and male left of center. Tapped Rubber trees with collection cups in foreground.
Denomination : 50 Rupees Base Color : Purple & Olive Under-print : Pink Orange & Yellow English : Fifty Rupees Sinhala :  රුපියල් පනහයි Thamil : ஐம்பது ரூபாய் Size : 151 x 79 mm Spink Auction 14008 lot 239 Front Pictorial :  On lower left : Upper : Cattleliya Orchids with leaves Lower : Berries with leaves. Back Pictorial :  Upper : Large side view of Vihara Devi Monument on pedestal in park in her name in front of a tree at centre. Monument is much smaller in TDLR note issued in 1970 Lower : Tea Estate with Tea factory buildings, and Mountains behind. Tea Bush with enlarged Tea leaf at lower left. Leaves regular in BW note issued in 1972
Denomination : 100 Rupees Base Color : Dark Brown and Blue Under-print : Pink, Green & Yellow English : One Hundred Rupees Sinhala :  රුපියල් සියයයි Thamil : நூறு ரூபாய் Size :  162x 86 mm Spink Auction 14008 lot 241 Front Pictorial :  On lower left few Lotus flowers in bloom. The final colored version adopted has an additional blue design on lower left Back Pictorial :  Upper : Male Kandyan Dancers in Ves with two Females dacers on either side in similer posture at center with closer Drummer facing right at lower left. Lower : Reservoir and front view of Dam with Electricity power cables leading out of Power staion with Pylon on right in foreground.

Front: Portrait of S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike smiling with teeth showing facing left, on right. At top ශ්‍රී ලංකා මහ බැංකුව in Sinhala, with இலங்கை மத்திய வங்கி in Thamil and CENTRAL BANK OF CEYLON below in English above ලංකාණ්ඩුව වෙනුවෙන් නිකුත් කරන ලද මේ මුදල් නෝට්ටුව ලංකාව ඇතුළත ඕනෑම මුදල් ගණනක් ගෙවිම සඳහා නිතියෙන් වලංගුය in three lines. The Numeric date 1971-2-15 without leading zero below Facsimile signatures in Sinhala of N. M. Perera above මුදල් ඈමති, and of William Tennekoon above මහ බැංකුවේ අධිපති. Value in Sinhala රුපියල් Thamil ரூபாய் and English RUPEES Serial No at lower left and upper right.
Back: On top ශ්‍රී ලංකා මහ බැංකුව in Sinhala, இலங்கை மத்திய வங்கி in Thamil and CENTRAL BANK OF CEYLON in English below. Value in Sinhala රුපියල් Thamil ரூபாய் and English RUPEES
At bottom margin in small script
BRADBURY WILKINSON & C^O L^D NEW MALDEN. SURREY, ENGLAND.

Note that Rs 5 has a later date in same year 1971-12-18 and signature of the next Governor of CBC Herbert Tennekoon and submitted date 1972-1-25. The Rs 2 of that date and signature and submitted date 1972-2-18 is also listed in Spink Auction 15008 lot 1669

Spink Auction 14008 lot 239 describes 2 reverse essays for Rs50 which match Photographic Essays listed at Spink Auction 16011 lot 822. First is similer to Pictorial used in the TDLR 1970 Rs50, likewise the Rs100 essay. The Second is close to that adopted for the Rs50 banknote in 1972 and used till 1977.

The notes at xx,xx,xx,xx and xx dpi are displayed at about 50 dpi if assuming height of 1971 notes.
If you have any of missing images or images of higher resolution please contribute to kavanr @ gmail.com

In 2014 April 11th Spink Auction 14008 lots 237-239,241 with the Rs2 and Rs10 described as a denomination of the 1971-72 "Smiling President" series which was never issued, unique sold for Total £3000 +44%BP+V.
The Gray-scale images of archival photographic proofs of the Rs5 and Rs10 essays have been Sepia toned.
I thank Percy Siganporia for the image of the back of the Rs5 note which was not posted on the Auction. It is similer to the 1972-5-22 Rs 5 essay with Sirimavo Bandaranaike, except for the hulls of some of the boats being painted a dull blue.