Central Bank of Ceylon
Queen Elizabeth II - 1952-1954

Currency Notes issued between 1952 and 1954 by the Central Bank of Ceylon with the young portrait of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Born on 1926 April 21st, Princess Elizabeth, ascended to the throne on 1952 February 6th, on the death of her father King George VI, and was coronated on 1953 June 2nd.
The Ceylon currency notes with her portrait, dated a year before her coronation are the world's first dated Currency Notes with her portrait after she ascended to the throne on 1952 February 6th. The denominations Rs1, Rs2, Rs5, Rs50 and Rs100 (excluding the Rs10) were issued with date 3rd June 1952.
Hong Kong dated 1952 July 1st, Cyprus 1952 September 1st, and Bermuda 1952 October 20th followed.
The Ceylon Rs 10, dated 1st July 1953 is the world's first dated, to be issued after her coronation on 1953 June 2nd.
Ceylon was also the first Commonwealth Nation to stop using the QEII portrait on their Banknotes. Last issued with date 16th October 1954. New notes after the Sinhala Only Act were issued dated 1956-7-30 with the Armorial Ensign of Ceylon. These facts were inferred by checking notes in Pick of all countries that issued notes with a QEII portrait of 1954 and older.
Please correct me if any statement of this paragraph is wrong, Thanks.
Only in 1956, the UK Treasury gave permission to the Bank of England to use the Monarch's portrait in a new series of notes. which were first issued in 1960.
Ceylon has a few Oriental Bank notes with enthroned Victoria, the design of which was used by Bradbury Wilkinson in few countries. Subsequently Ceylon used the Monarchs image on BankNotes from 1941 to 1954 and but on Coins from 1815 to 1957. Why is there such a difference in the usage of the Monarch image between Banknotes and Coins?
See also an interesting 1956 transition sketch essay.

Denomination: 1 Rupee Base Color: Blue
Under-print: Orange & Green English : One Rupee
Sinhala රුපියලයි Thamil ஒரு ரூபாய்
Size : 108 x 60 mm SCWPM-lk :  49
Back Pictorial :  Moonstone and ornate stone stairway to Vatadage in medieval City of Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka.
Deno. Date on Note Minister of Finance Governor CBC 1st Serial #000 Pcs
Re.1 3RD JUNE 1952 J.R.Jayawardena John Exter A/31 000001 12,000
Re.1 16TH OCTOBER 1954 M.D.H.Jayawardena A.G.Ranasingha A/43 000001 25,000
Denomination: 2 Rupees Base Color: Brown & Lilac
Under-print: Blue & Green English : Two Rupees
Sinhala රුපියල් දෙකයි Thamil இரண்டு ரூபாய்
Size : 121 x 67 mm SCWPM-lk:  50
Back Pictorial :  Circular Buddhist shrine, Medirigiriya Vatadage in medieval City of Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka.
Deno. Date on Note Minister of Finance Governor CBC 1st Serial #000 Pcs
Rs.2 3RD JUNE 1952 J.R.Jayawardena John Exter E/1   000001 15,000
Rs.2 16TH OCTOBER 1954 M.D.H.Jayawardena A.G.Ranasingha E/16 000001 12,000
Denomination: 5 Rupees Base Color: Purple
Under-print: Blue, Green & Orange English : Five Rupees
Sinhala රුපියල් පහයි Thamil ஐந்து ரூபாய்
Size : 133 x 73 mm SCWPM-lk:  51
Back Pictorial :  Statue of sage Pulasthi in medieval City of Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka.
Deno. Date on Note Minister of Finance Governor CBC 1st Serial #000 Pcs
Rs.5 3RD JUNE 1952 J.R.Jayawardena John Exter G/1  000001 10,000
Denomination: 5 Rupees Base Color: Orange
Under-print: Aqua, Green & Brown English : Five Rupees
Sinhala රුපියල් පහයි Thamil ஐந்து ரூபாய்
Size : 133 x 73 mm SCWPM-lk:  54
Back Pictorial :  Statue of sage Pulasthi in medieval City of Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka.
Deno. Date on Note Minister of Finance Governor CBC 1st Serial #000 Pcs
Rs.5 16TH OCTOBER 1954 M.D.H.Jayawardena A.G.Ranasingha G/11 000001 8,000
Denomination: 10 Rupees Base Color: Green
Under-print: Violet, Brown & Blue English : Ten Rupees
Sinhala රුපියල් දහයයි Thamil பத்து ரூபாய்
Size :  146x 79 mm SCWPM-lk : 55
Back Pictorial :  Guard standing with pot of plenty (punkalasa) in his left hand and in the other a sprouting branch complete with leaves, buds and flowers. A pair of midgets (Bahirawa) at on either side of his feet.
Deno. Date on Note Minister of Finance Governor CBC 1st Serial #000 Pcs
Rs.10 1ST JULY 1953 J.R.Jayawardena N.U.Jayawardena L/21 000001 10,000
Rs.10 16TH OCTOBER 1954 M.D.H.Jayawardena A.G.Ranasingha L/31 000001 15,000
Denomination: 50 Rupees Base Color: Blue
Under-print: Purple and multicolor English : Fifty Rupees
Sinhala රුපියල් පනහයි Thamil ஐம்பது ரூபாய்
Size : 159 x 89 mm SCWPM-lk:  52
Back Pictorial :  Moonstone at base of stone stairway to Queens Pavilion in Ancient City of Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. Moonstone has 3¼ repeated sequence of Elephant, Horse, Lion and Bull in annulus, and equal total of 13 swans in inner annulus, along with various other annulus with floral designs.
Deno. Date on Note Minister of Finance Governor CBC 1st Serial #000 Pcs
Rs.50 3RD JUNE 1952 J.R.Jayawardena John Exter R/1   00001 1,500
Rs.50 12TH MAY 1954 O.E.Goonatilleke N.U.Jayawardena R/16 00001 1,000
Denomination: 100 Rupees Base Color: Brown
Under-print: Purple, Green & Orange English : One Hundred Rupees
Sinhala රුපියල් සියයයි Thamil நூறு ரூபாய்
Size : 171 x 98 mm SCWPM-lk:  53
Back Pictorial :  Sigiriya Fresco of 5th Century CE
Deno. Date on Note Minister of Finance Governor CBC 1st Serial #000 Pcs
Rs.100 3RD JUNE 1952 J.R.Jayawardena John Exter V/1   00001 2,000
Rs.100 16TH OCTOBER 1954 M.D.H.Jayawardena A.G.Ranasingha V/21 00001 1,000

Front: Young portrait of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth facing right, within panel on left. Similer panel for water-mark on the right. CENTRAL BANK OF CEYLON at upper centre above This note is issued on behalf of the Government of Ceylon and is legal tender in Ceylon for the payment of any amount in three or four lines. The Value RUPEES in two or three lines in English at center. The date as Day Month Year below. Facsimile English signatures above MINISTER OF FINANCE on left and GOVERNOR CENTRAL BANK OF CEYLON on right. One Serial No at center for Re 1 and Rs 2 and twice on lower left and upper right for rest. Value in Sinhala රුපියල් on left, at top or bottom and value in Thamil ரூபாய் on right always at bottom. All within a rectangular decorated border with Numeric Value in upper two corners and both, right or none of lower corners.
Back: Rectangular decorated border with Numeric Value in upper two corners and both, right or none of lower corners. Centered in border CENTRAL BANK OF CEYLON on top or bottom. In English Text, Value RUPEES at Upper, lower, or right. Within border, Top or Bottom, value in Sinhala රුපියල් on left, and value in Thamil ரூபாய் on right.
Ceylon Pictorial on right or centered on micro under-print pattern with colored shading.
At bottom centered just below horizontal decorate in small script
BRADBURY WILKINSON & CO LD NEW MALDEN. SURREY, ENGLAND.
Watermark: Lion standing on hind legs facing left with bent whip in right paw, Lion Lighter with outline including whip darker than paper.

Engraver Nigel Alan Dow (1929- ) Dow became Chief engraver at Bradbury Wilkinson in the 1960s has engraved more portraits of Queen Elizabeth II than any other security engraver: ten different portraits for the Bank of England and Commonwealth governments. Nevertheless Mr Dow has been quoted as saying "I've never really engraved a satisfactory portrait of the Queen. I think everyone has their own ideas a to how she looks - and that includes the photographer" (Hutchings 83). Legendary British engraver Alan Dow retired in 1997 after 52 years of cutting images in steel. (Ref: Gene Hessler's The international engraver's line p:81-83)

Although the general layout of all the notes are similer, the shape and location of each of the elements are slightly different for each of the denominations.
Denomination Re 1 Rs 2 Rs 5 Rs 10 Rs 50 Rs 100
Portrait Panel Oval SquarishScallop Scallop Squarish Oval
Legality lines 3 4 3 4 4 3
Eng. Value lines 2 2 2 2 2 3
Front Lower Numbers None None Both Both Right Both
Back Lower Numbers Right Right Both Both None Both
Back Eng. CBC Center Top Top Top arc Bottom Top Top
Front Sinhala Left Bottom Bottom Upper Upper Upper Bottom
Front Thamil Right Bottom Bottom Bottom Bottom Bottom Bottom
Back English Center Upper Bottom Right Right Bottom Bottom
Back Sinhala Left Bottom Bottom Bottom Top Lower Upper
Back Thamil BotCen UppRig BotRig TopRig UppRig UppRig
Back Pictorial Right Right Center Center Right Right

Minister of FinanceGovernor
Central Bank of Ceylon
3RD JUNE 1952
J.R.JayawardenaJohn Exter
1ST JULY 1953
J.R.JayawardenaN.U.Jayawardena
12TH MAY 1954
O.E.GoonatillekeN.U.Jayawardena
16TH OCTOBER 1954
M.D.H.JayawardenaA.G.Ranasingha

Among the six denominations, each issued on 2 dates, there are 4 different dates and signature pairs, all of which are represented above. There were three Finance Ministers and three Governors of Central Bank within 2.4 years

In classic Dorothy Wilding photograph of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, she is wearing her grandmother's 'Girls of Great Britain and Ireland' Tiara. The Tiara from the London jeweller Garrard was given to George V's wife Queen Mary as a wedding gift in 1893. Funds for the purchase was raised by a committee formed by Lady Eve Greville.

The format and Pictorials are the same as the notes issued in 1951 for King George VI.

There were two colors for the Rs 5 note. According to T. M. U. Sallay this change happened because when the CBC Governor sent a Purple Rs 5 with servant to shop, it was mistaken at dusk, for a brown Rs 2, for which change was returned. A similar mistake still happens with 2010 Series with the Purple Rs500/- being mistaken for Maroon Rs20/-.

The Central Bank of Ceylon Annual Report for 1952 says I quote 98. During 1952 the Central Bank issued for the first time currency notes designed and printed under its authority. The new notes were in denominations of Rs. 10, Rs. 2, and Re. 1. The Rs 10 and Re 1 notes would have been those of King George VI. The currency in circulation for 1952 shows no increase in Circulation of the Rs 2 after June. , b and Re 1. notes in 1952 April and may have been the month of issue. (Need to check Newspapers). New Notes are issued tradinionally for Sinhala & Tamil New Year.

The Uncirculated Re 1; Rs 2 and red Rs 5 are from a small collection of notes preserved by my Grand-Father Mudliyar P. D. Ratnatunga (1881-1977) which motivated my interest in Ceylon Currency Notes. The Uncirculated purple Rs 5 from the collection of Mr Leonard Konstz, given to his daughter Lidwina, my wife. It appeared in Local Media in the SundayTimes BusinessTimes section on 2022 September 11th after the passing of QEII on September 8th.

See also the discovery of an unique historic Essay from the 1956 showing a proposed Transition from this English to Sinhala and QEII to the Armorial Ensign of Ceylon..

An Unc Purple Rs 5 note dated 3rd June 1952 with Serial Number G/7 924349 sold on Heritage Auction Lot 26324 for US$1800 in 2018 September.

The notes were scanned at 300 dpi and displayed at 50 dpi.
I thank Cedrian Lopez-Bosch (11817-R) for the engraver information from Gene Hessler's book.

The Rs1 note was shown in 1984 British TV Satire, The Spitting Image, 10 second clip from Series 1 Episode 5