The Oriental Bank Corporation
1881-1884 - Colombo

Denomination : 5 Rupees Shade Color : Red Value Color : Pink English : Five Rupees Sinhala : රුපියල්පහයි Thamil : ஐந்துரூபாய் Size : 163 x 128 mm Date : 1st January 1881 Status : Signed
	Click to see image of signed note. Pick-lk S142
Denomination : 10 Rupees Shade Color : Brown Value Color : Orange English : Ten Rupees Sinhala : රුපියල්දහයයි Thamil : பத்துரூபாய் Size : 197 x 125 mm Date : 1st December 1883 Status : Specimen
	Click to see image of signed note. Pick-lk S142A
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
Pick-lk Unlisted
Denomination : 100 Rupees Shade Color : Green Value Color : Pink English : Hundred Rupees Sinhala : රුපියල්සියයයි Thamil : நூறுரூபாய் Size : 197 x 126 mm Date : 1st March 1884 Status : Specimen
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 COLOMBO 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 Office here DENOMINATION RUPEES , Value received
Below COLOMBO 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 ENT^D _____ ACCOUNT^T.
At bottom centered just below horizontal decorate in small script
BRADBURY WILKINSON & C^o 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 bands	Blue-Red-Blue	Red-Blue-Red	Brown-Green-Brown	Green-Brown-Green
Pair of Busts	Lady with hat	Gent with helmet	Gent with winged cap	Lady with hair bun
Sinhala Text	Center Upper	left middle	left middle	Center Upper Arc down
Thamil Text	Center lower	right middle	right 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 & C^o, 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.

Text and Images from Spink Auction listings Rs 5 and Rs 10. Rs 50 and Rs 100.
Images estimated to be 75(Rs5), 100(Rs10) 137(Rs50) and 138(Rs100) dpi and displayed at 50 dpi.

Known Denomination, Date and Serial Numbers

1881-1884 Colombo -     Rs   5  1881-01-01                   C200319 C223545(KNM) C244693 C256949
                        Rs   5  1883-01-01   C280001-C300000
                        Rs   5  1884-03-01   C300001-C360000
                        Rs  10  1881-01-01                   C212617 C220759(KNM) C268768(BMC)
                        Rs  10  1883-01-01   C250001-C270000
                        Rs  10  1883-12-01   C270001-C280000 
                        Rs  50  1884-03-01   C19001-C23000
                        Rs 100  1884-03-01   C15001-C17000