65) The Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom: Great British 2012 coin set (Uncirculated) issued by Royal Mint, U.K.:

65)  The Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom:

Great British 2012 coin set (Uncirculated) issued by Royal Mint, U.K.:

The Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom:

The Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom is the official Coat of arms of the British Monarch, presently Queen Elizabeth II and are also known as her Arms of Dominion.

Some salient features and uses of the Coat-of Arms:

Ø  The basic design of the Royal Coat of Arms is used on their Coat of Arms by other members of the Royal Family with variations and also by the British Government in the administration and governance of the country. The Royal Coat of Arms also, it figures on all UK passports.

Ø  According to legend, the unicorn was considered to be a very dangerous beast, hence, it is shown as chained in the Heraldic colours.

Ø  The coat features both the motto of the English monarchs “Dieu et mon droit” (God and my right) and the motto of the Order of the Garter “Honi soit qui mal y pense” (Shame be he who thinks ill of it on a representation of the Garter behind the shield (for Scotland the Collar of the Order of the Thistle). 

Ø  Since 1603, when the “Union of the Crowns” of the British Isles took place, a separate version of the Royal Arms has been used in Scotland, giving the Scottish elements the pride of place in these Arms. Accordingly, in Scotland, the Queen has a separate version of the Royal arms, which is also used by the Scotland Office. The Royal Coat of Arms in Scotland bears the legend “NEMO ME IMPUNE LACESSIT” (No one dares touch/wound me with impunity) and on top is mentioned “IN DEFENS” (God Me Defend).

Ø  The Royal Arms have regularly appeared on coinage produced by the Royal Mint U.K. from 1663 on the Guinea and from 1983 on the British one pound coins.  Since 2008, a new series of designs exhibit the Royal shield from the Royal coat of arms on all one pound coins (full Royal shield) and on the six smaller denomination coins (parts of the Royal shield) .

The official blazon of the Royal Arms is:

Quarterly (meaning out of the four parts), first and fourth Gules, three Lions passant Gardant in pale Or armed and langued Azure (for England), second quarter Or a Lion rampant within a double tressure flory-counter-flory Gules (for Scotland), third quarter Azure a harp Or stringed Argent (for Ireland), the whole surrounded by the Garter; for a Crest, upon the Royal helm the Imperial crown Proper, thereon a lion statant gardant imperially crowned Proper; Mantling Or and ermine; for Supporters, dexter a lion rampant gardant Or crowned as the crest, sinister a unicorn Argent armed, crined and unglued Proper, gorged with a coronet Or composed of crosses patee and fleurs de lis a chain affixed thereto passing between the forelegs and reflexed over the back also Or. Motto “Dieu et mon Droit” in the compartment below the shield, with the Union Rose, Shamrock and thistle engrafted on the same stem.

Explanations: Argent (The silver of a coat of arms or silvery white or the white colour in Heraldry or armorial bearings);

1)      Gules (red, in Heraldry);

2)   Passant (of a beast, walking and looking towards the dexter side with the dexter forepaw raised);

3)   Gardant ( of a beast, Having the full face towards the spectator); 

4)   Or (tincture gold or yellow in armorial bearings);

5)   Langued (Represented with a tongue of a specified tincture);

6)      Azure (clear blue/sky coloured);

7)   Tressure flory-counter-flory (Tressure: A diminutive of the orle consisting of a narrow band of one-quarter the width of the bordure. An ornamental enclosure, circular or of several arches, containing the type or distinctive device, found on many gold and silver coins of former centuries; Flory : Of a cross having its arms tipped with Fleurs-de-Lis; Counter Flory: Having flowers on each side set opposite each other in pairs. Also termed as “Counter Flowered”);

8)      Statant (in relation to an animal – particularly a lion standing in profile with all four feet on the ground);

9)    Mantling (The ornamental accessory of drapery or scroll work frequently depicted behind and around an achievement);

10) Crest (A golden Lion, crowned royally and standing on a royal crown; with gold and ermine mantling);

11) Dexter (on the bearer’s right hand side of a shield, in Heraldry);

12) Sinister (on the bearer’s left hand side of a shield, in Heraldry);

13) Crined  (having the hair tinctured differently from the body, as a charge);

14) Patee (A cross of which the extremities are widened in the form of an open paw – normally applied to a cross the arms of which are nearly triangular, being very narrow where they meet and widening out towards the extremities, so that the whole composes nearly a square).

15) Fleurs de lis (A “lily-flower” which is scarcely found in England. Also referred to as the Heraldic lily. A representation which is also said to represent an iris or the top of a sceptre or that of a battle-axe or other weapon. It was also on the Royal arms of the French Royal Family and Flag before 1789);

16)  Shamrock ( A plant with tri-foliate leaves used by St. Patrick, according to tradition, to illustrate the doctrine of the Trinity, and hence adopted as the National emblem of Ireland).

17) Thistle (The common name of the prickly herbaceous plants of the composite genus Carduus and closely allied genera, having stems, leaves, and involucres thickly armed with prickles. Also, the heraldic emblem of Scotland).

Coat of Arms of members of the Royal Family:

The members of the Royal family by Royal bloodlines receive their own personalised Arms which are based on the Royal Arms. Only the children and grandchildren in the male line of the monarch are entitled to receive their own Arms.

Queen consorts and the wives of sons of the monarch also receive their own personalised Coat of Arms. Normally, this will be the Arms of their husbands impaled with their own personal Arms or those of their father. However, the Queen regnant’s consort is not entitled to use the Royal Arms. Thus, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh uses his own personal arms.

Commemorative coins: 2012 Great British Coins:

Ø  Since 2008, a new series of designs for all seven coins of one pound and below based on an adaptation designed by Matthew Dent, have been issued by the Royal Mint which exhibit an interesting feature:    

The full Royal Arms appear on the one pound coin, however, sections of the Arms appear on each of the six smaller denomination coins in such a fashion that they can be put together like the pieces of a "jigsaw puzzle" to make another representation of the Royal Shield from the Royal Coat of Arms as can be seen on the reverse of the coin set given below:

The obverse design in all these coins is made by Ian Rank-Broadley and the reverse by Matthew Dent.

Ø  This set contains eight definitive coins which capture the history of Britain in their own unique style.

Ø  The coins include one each of a 2-pound coin, a 1 pound coin, a fifty pence coin, a twenty pence, (Remember that 25 pence coins are not issued since 1990, when the 5 Pound coin was rendered as being of its equivalent value), a ten pence coin, a five pence coin, a two pence coin and a one penny coin.

Ø  All these coins, except for the two pound coin have been redesigned in keeping with the design of the Royal Arms designed by Matthew Dent in 2008 which replaced the first decimal coins introduced in 1971 in the U.K. The two pound coin exhibits the same design as the one introduced in 1997, which was the first bi-colour coin for the UK which portrays the march of technology from the Iron Age to the Internet Age, based on the design made by Bruce Rushin.

Design error in the one penny coins:

There is a glaring error in the one penny coin on which the head of a lion from the I quarter of the shield, could not be fitted in by the engravers due to the small size of the coin.

 Design error in the 20 pence coins issued in 2008:

An interesting error occurred when the 20 p coins were minted the first time with the revised design in November 2008 under the new design made by Matthew Dent. In the existing 20 P coins till then, the practice was to place the year of issue on the reverse side where the Tudor rose was shown, however, to maintain uniformity of design of the portion of the Royal Arms, the year was not included on the reverse face but taken to the obverse (as can be seen in the 2012 coin set given here). Notwithstanding this requirement in about 2.50 lac coins of the 136 million 20 p coins minted in 2008-09, the coins got minted with the “old design”. This resulted in these coins not having the year of issue mentioned at all!!

 Shown above is the image of a 20 p coin issued with the Tudor rose design, showing the year of issue as 2008.

 The obverse side of the earlier 20 p coin not requiring the year of issue on this face, as it is mentioned on the reverse.

 The new design 20 p coin, not requiring the year of issue on the reverse, as it would spoil the design of the Royal Shield.

 The erroneously minted side of the new design coin, which was a replica of the Tudor Rose 20 p coin issues. Notice that the year of issue has shifted to the obverse in the coin set as given above or given a few coins below.

 Placement of the year of issue in the new design coins issued from 2008 onwards –

  Reverse or obverse:

In the earlier design of issues for the Two pound coin as well as the 20 p coins, the year of issue was mentioned on the reverse, contrary to the design on the other coins where the year was mentioned on the obverse. From the design introduced in 2008, the year of issue on the 2 pound coin was retained on the reverse as it was not included in the coins forming the “jigsaw puzzle” pieces of the Royal Arms, however, the year in the 20 p coins was shifted to the obverse.

Coin Specifications:

The quality of all these coins is Brilliant Uncirculated.

The 10 pence coin is made of Nickel plated steel and has a diameter of 6.50 gms, with a diameter of 24.50mm.

The 2 pence coin, on the other hand is Copper plated steel, weighs 7.12 gms and has a diameter of 25.91 mm

The one penny coin is, also, made of copper plated steel. It weighs 3.56 gms and has a diameter of 20.32 mm. Notice that the head of the lion on top is missing from the one penny coin.

The 5 pence coin is, also, made of Nickel plated steel and has a weight of 3.25 gms and a diameter of 18.00 mm.

The 20 pence coin is also made of cupro-nickel and has a weight of 5.00 gms and a diameter of 21.40 mm.

The fifty pence coin has a diameter of 27.30 mm and its alloy is Cupro-nickel. It has a weight of 8.00 gms.

The 1 pound coin has a weight of 9.50 gms and has a diameter of 22.50 mm. It is made of Nickel Brass. The reverse shows the shield of the Royal Arms. The edge inscription is “DECUS ET TUTAMEN” (An Ornament and a Safeguard).

The 2 pounds has a weight of 12.00 gms and has a diameter of 28.40mm. Its inner portion is made of Cupro-nickel, while the outer portion is made of nickel-brass. The reverse designer is Bruce Rushin. This design celebrates the technological advancement from the Iron-Age to present Day Computer- Age. To compliment this design, the edge inscription on the coin is “STANDING ON THE SHOULDER OF GIANTS” and is an abridged version of the acclaimed scientist Isaac Newton’s words acknowledging the contributions and accomplishments of previous generations to the cause of scientific advancement “If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants”.

Links:

British Crown Dependencies:

1) Specimen Banknotes from the States of Jersey

2) Coinage and Currency from the States of Jersey

3) Currency & Coinage of the Bailiwick of Guernsey

4) Currency & Coinage of Gibraltar : An Overseas Territory of Great Britain

5) Coinage of Gibraltar: (A British Overseas Territory): An Uncirculated Decimal Coin Collection Set minted by the Tower Mint, UK in 2010
  
6) The Isle of Man: An Uncirculated Decimal Coin Collection Set minted by Pobjoy Mint, UK in 2015

7) The Centenary of the ill-fated Titanic (15.04.1912 - 15.04.2012): An Alderney Five Pound Coin Commemorating the Maritime Legend

8) "Man of Steel": A Superman Movie: A set of stamps brought out in 2013 by Jersey post, the States of Jersey, commemorating Henry William Dalgliesh Cavill who played Superman in the Movie

9) Coins & Currency of Bermuda

10) The Bailiwick of Jersey - Presently circulating coinage - Pounds and Pence 

11) St. Helena & Ascension Islands: An Uncirculated Coin Set from 2003 

12) The Legend of the "HMAV Bounty" is interwoven with the heritage of the Pitcairn Islands: An uncirculated coin set from Pitcairn Islands in 2009 depicting the icons/relics of the Bounty minted by the New Zealand Mint 

Famous Battles: 

1) Bicentenary of the Battle of Waterloo and Napoleon's Exile to St. Helena: (Part I): A One Crown Commemorative coin issued by the Ascension Island (minted by Pobjoy Mint UK) 

2) Bicentenary of the Battle of Waterloo and Napoleon's Exile to st. Helena: (Part II) 1) A 5 GBP Coin issued by the Royal Mint UK. 2) A"Drie Landen Zilverset" ( ot the "Three Lands Silver set") containing coins issued by the Royal Dutch Mint including coins of Netherlands, Belgium and UK

3) Commemorating the 75th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain by issuing a 50 Pence coin by the Royal Mint UK

Gold Coins:
  
1) Gold Sovereigns issued in 2013 & 2014 by MMTC-PAMP in India under licence from the Royal Mint, UK, carrying the "I" Mint Mark

2) Gold Half-Sovereigns minted by MMTC-PAMP in India in 2014 under licence from the Royal Mint UK bearing the "I" Mint Mark 

Silver Coins:

1) A 20 Pound Silver coin minted for the first timr by the royal Mint UK: reverse design carries the famous St. George slaying the dragon design found on Gold Sovereigns 

British India Coinage:

 1) East India Company Quarter Anna Copper Coin which is one of the first issues under the Coinage Act 1835

2) Victoria Coinage: When she was Queen and afterwards Empress

3) Edward VII: King & Emperor  Coinage

4) George V King Emperor Coinage

5) George VI: The last of the British India Emperors Coinage 

Other British Royalty: 

1) Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee Celebrations (1952-2012): A Five Pound Commemorative coin issued by the Royal Mint, UK

2) Commemorating Queen Elizabeth II's Coronation in 1953: A Five Pound Coin minted by the Royal Mint UK in 2013, depicting the Imperial State Crown

3) The Royal Coat of Arms of the UK: Great British 2012 Coin Set (Uncirculated) issued by the Royal Mint UK

4) Prince George's Christening Ceremony celebrated with coins issued by the Royal Mint UK in 2013

5) The British Empire:  A Case of Numismatic "segregation": (Guest Post by Rahul Kumar)

6) 1) The Portrait Collection: Various Portraits of Queen Elizabeth II on Coinage 2) The Fourth & Final Circulating coinage of the Portrait designed by Ian Rank-Broadley and the First Edition of the portrait of the Queen made by Jody Clark

 British Coinage:

1) The contribution of the Great British One-Pound coins in keeping alive the historical legends/emblems/heritage of the UK (1983 onwards)

2) Transformation of a Five shilling Coin (Crown) into the UK Twenty-five Pence & then the Five Pound Coin

3) Transformation of the Two Shilling Coin (Florin) Coin into the UK Ten Pence

4) The 350th Anniversary of the Guinea: A Two Pound Coin issued by the Royal Mint UK celebrating the milestone

 Commemorative British Coinage:

 1) Commemorating the Bicentenary of Charles Dickens: A Two pound coin celebrating his literary contributions during the Victorian Era

 2) Commemorating 50 Years of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) - presently called the World Wide Fund for Nature by issue of a Fifty Pence coin by the Royal Mint, UK

3) Coins commemorating London Olympics & Paralympics (2012)

4) Commemorating 150 Years of the London Underground : Two pound Coins minted by the Royal Mint UK, showing the "Roundel" logo and a train emerging from a tunnel 

5) Commemorating the 100th Birth anniversary of Christopher Ironside with his" Royal Arms" design on a 50 Pence coin issued by the Royal Mint, UK 

6) 800th Anniversary of the Magna Carta - the Universal Guidepost to Liberty and Freedom

Inspirations from Scottish History: 

1) The Legend of King Bruce & the Spider on Banknotes

Banknotes from Scotland:
  
1) Commemorating Sir William Arrol and his creation the Forth Rail Bridge by issues of Britain's first ever 5 Pound Polymer Banknote

64) Currency/Coinage of Sri Lanka :Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL):

64) Currency/Coinage of Sri Lanka:

Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL):

I was pleasantly surprised to receive a call from Jayant, mentioning that he had collected some currency notes and coins for me when he had gone for a holiday to Sri Lanka a couple of weeks ago.  It was rather nice of him to have remembered to collect them for me even though he was on a holiday. The broad cross-section of notes and coins given in the post below are entirely due to his meticulousness in collecting them for me. Naturally, his contribution inspired me to research and write this article on Sri Lankan currency/coinage. He also shared that apart from the various beaches and sight-seeing, he had taken  a video of an elephant orphanage where the baby elephants and their mahouts interact freely with the visitors. The video was a beautiful sight for animal lovers indeed!

Jayant’s video took us back in time when about seven years ago, we had visited the Rajajipuram National Park near Dehradun and had made “friends” with an orphaned elephant named “Yogi” and his little Mahout. I remember the sad look in Yogi’s eyes when he realized that we were leaving and he seemed to know that we may never meet again.

 Yogi with Sumita.

 Sri Lankan Currency:

The Rupee is the currency of Sri Lanka and each rupee is subdivided into cents. The Royal Mint, U.K. mints the coins for Sri Lanka.

Historical evolution of Sri Lankan coinage post-Independence:

Since 1963, a few years after Independence, Sri Lanka introduced a new coinage under which, coins were issued in the denominations of 1 and 2 cents (aluminium), 5 and 10 cents (nickel brass), 25 cents, 50 cents and 1 rupee (cupro-nickel). 

In 1978, aluminium replaced nickel-brass in the 5 and 10 cents denominations.

In 1984, cupro-nickel 2 rupee and aluminium –bronze 5 rupee coins were introduced for circulation, although commemorative coins in these denominations were being issued much earlier since 1968.

On 14^th Dec.2005 a new series of circulating coins Rs.5, 2, 1 and 50 and 25 cents were issued for circulation. Circulating coins are Brass Plated steel (five and one rupee coins), Nickel Plated Steel (two rupee coins), Copper plated Steel (50 and 25 cent coins). 

The obverse and reverse designs of these coins are identical to the existing coins of the same denominations. The year appears as 2005 in the first issues. The size and colour of the new Rs.5 and Rs.2 coins remain unchanged, while the weight and alloy have changed. The Re. 1, cts.50 and cts.25 coins are smaller than the existing ones of similar denominations and have been minted in different alloys and colours for easy identification.

The specifications of individual denominations are:

The above is the obverse side image of a ten rupee coin issued in 2011 showing the Armorial ensign of Sri Lanka and a design on the border periphery. Ten rupee coins were introduced for circulation in 2009 and replaced the ten rupee paper currency Notes.

The reverse side shows the name of the country Sri Lanka, in Sinhala, Tamil and English, year of issue “2011”, and the denominational value of the coin mentioned in numerals “10” and in words, also, in Sinhala, Tamil and English.  

The coin is made in Nickel-plated Steel, Diameter: 26.4mm; weight: 8.36 gms. , Thickness: 2.1mm. The coin is Hendecagonal (11 sided) in shape.

The above is the obverse side image of a five rupee coin issued in 2006 showing the Armorial ensign of Sri Lanka and a design on the border periphery. 

The reverse side shows the name of the country Sri Lanka, in Sinhala, Tamil and English, year of issue “2006”, and the denominational value of the coin mentioned in numerals “5” and in words, also, in Sinhala, Tamil and English.  The above coin also has an edge inscription “CBSL” (Central Bank of Sri Lanka) the issuing Authority mentioned in the three languages.

Five rupee coins are made of Brass Plated Alloy with the other specifications being: Diameter: 23.5 Mm, weight: 7.7 gms, Thickness: 2.7mm Edge: incuse edge. 

 This is a reverse side image of a coin from the 1984 series and is made of bronze. This coin has been issued in 1991 and is from Jayant's collection. The obverse side looks exactly like the earlier coin and shows the Armorial Ensign of Sri Lanka.

The above is a scan of the obverse a two-rupee coin issued in 2008, (under the new series of 2005) showing the Armorial ensign of Sri Lanka and a design on the border periphery.

The reverse side shows the name of the country Sri Lanka, in Sinhala, Tamil and English, year of issue “2008”, and the denominational value of the coin mentioned in numerals “2” and in words, also, in Sinhala, Tamil and English. 

The coin is made in Nickel Plated alloy and has a diameter of 28.5 mm and wt: 7.0 gms. Its edge is milled.

The two faces of a two-rupee coin issued in 1981 commemorating  the Mahaweli  Ganga Development Scheme  which was started in 1958 with World Bank credits and has provided employment in construction, land for the landless, food through agricultural development, electrical power, markets, roads, schools  etc. The coin is made of cupro-nickel. The other particulars are the same as the above coin.

The two faces of another two rupee coin issued in 1995 commemorating the golden jubilee (50 years) of existence of the Food and Agricultural Organization. The coin is made of cupro-nickel. The other particulars are the same as the above coin.

The reverse side of the above one-rupee coin shows the year of issue “1994”, and the denominational value of the coin mentioned in numerals “1” and in words, also, in Sinhala, Tamil and English. The obverse side is the same as the 2 rupee coin given above. This coin is from the earlier series and is made of cupro-nickel. It has a diameter of 25.0 mm.

The reverse side of this coin  shows the year of issue “2002” and it exhibits the same features of the preceding coin.  This coin as the one before it is made of cupro-nickel.

Notice that the coin(given below) is much smaller than the one rupee coins immediately preceding it , having a reduced size of 20 mm only. It is made of Brass plated steel and weighs 3.65 gms. Its thickness is 1.7 mm.

The reverse side shows the year of issue “2009”, and the denominational value of the coin mentioned in numerals “1” and in words, also, in Sinhala, Tamil and English.

Fifty cents coins are made of Copper plated Steel alloy, and have a diameter of 18 mm. Their wt. is 2.5 gms and edge is milled.

25 cents: The above is an image of a 25 cent coin issued in 1991 from Jayant's collection, issued in copper-nickel from the 1963 series.
Specifications of the present series issues since December 2005 are:Alloy: Copper Plated steel Diameter: 16.00 mm Wt: 1.68 gms edge: plain.

The Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) :is the currency issuing/monitoring authority of Sri Lanka.

The Bank was established in 1950 and celebrated its 60^th Anniversary (Diamond Jubilee) in 2010. 

 To commemorate the occasion, it issued a Frosted Proof crown size multi-coloured silver coin in the denomination of Rs.5000/- , which was the first time that the Bank had issued a multi-coloured coin:

On the obverse side, the years the Bank has been in existence “1950-2010” are mentioned together with the Ensign of Sri Lanka (a Lion Rampant holding a sword). The coin was actually issued in January 2011.

The reverse image of the coin shows an artistic Banyan tree with overblown leaves which symbolizes the economy of Sri Lanka with the words “growth and stability” above and Sri Lanka below in Tamil, Sinhala and English along the periphery of the coin, (the Banyan tree design is reminiscent of the old Banyan tree logo of the State Bank of India - Please refer the link to the State Bank of india post given at the bottom of this post). 

The face value of the coin “5000” appears in large numerals below the tree with the denomination mentioned in words in Sinhala, Tamil and English. The Diamond Jubilee Year was mentioned next to the tree “2010”. 

In addition, CBSL has issued commemorative coins to mark important events and persons since 1957 and the Rs.5000/- commemorative coin was, also, the 50^th commemorative coin ever issued by the Bank.

 

Some other commemorative coins which have been issued by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka are:

2500^th Buddha Jayanthi  , 2^nd World Food Congress,5^th Non-Aligned Summit Conference , 50 years of Universal Adult Franchise , The Mahaweli Development Scheme, International Year of Shelter for the Homeless, 5^th South Asian Federation Games – Colombo,  2300 Anubudu Mihindu Jayanthi, 50^th Anniversary of Food and Agricultural Organization, 50^th Anniversary of the United Nations Organization, 50^th Anniversary of the UNICEF, 40^th Anniversary of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, Cricket World Cup – 1996, 50^th Anniversary of Independence of Sri Lanka, 50^th Anniversary of Sri Lankan Army, 50^th Anniversary of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, 50^th Anniversary of Sri Lanka Air Force, 2550^th Anniversary of the passing away of the Buddha.etc.

Most of the commemorative coins are Gold; Gold plated frosted silver, silver proof coins etc. 

Currency Note Printing Agency:

Currency Notes in Sri Lanka are printed by the “De la Rue Lanka Currency and securities Print (Pvt.) Ltd., a joint venture of the Government of Sri Lanka and “De La Rue”, a printing Company in the United Kingdom.

Historical background of currency notes in Sri Lanka:

In 1951, the Government of Ceylon (Sri Lanka as it was then called) after getting Independence, introduced its first paper currency in the form of 1 and 10 rupee notes (the issues were called the “King George VI “series). 

In 1952, currency notes in the denominations of Rs.2/-, Rs.5/-, Rs.50/- and Rs.100/- were introduced (known as the “Queen Elizabeth II” Series).

 In 1953, the one-rupee notes were replaced by coins.

In 1956, the Re.1/-, Rs.2/- , Rs.5/-, Rs/-10, Rs.50/-, Rs.100/- currency notes were issued in the “Armorial Ensign of Ceylon “series.

In 1962, the denominations of notes issued under the Armorial Ensign of Sri Lanka were changed to the “S.W.R.D. Bandaranayke Portrait” series.

In 1965, the denominations of notes introduced in 1956 and 1962, saw the introduction of the “Vignette of Parakramabahu, the Great” series.

In 1975, the Rs.50/- and Rs.100/- notes were reprinted under the “Armorial Ensign of Sri Lanka Series”.

In 1979, the currency Notes were printed under the “Fauna and Flora” series in the Rs.2/- to Rs.100/- denominations. Also, Rs.20/- notes were introduced in this year.

In 1981, the “Historical and Archeological Theme” series was issued.

From 1991 to 2010, the “Heritage Series” was in place which went through several revisions – in 1995 the series had an enhanced latent image at the centre bottom of the obverse side. Also, in 1998, Rs.500/- and Rs.1000/- were issued/introduced .Then again, in 2001 , there was another revision, which added a wider metallic strip to the 500 and 1000 rupee notes.  Later, in 2006, Rs.2000/- were issued/introduced.

Also, in 1998, a Rs.200/- polymer Note was issued to commemorate the “50^th Anniversary of Sri Lanka regaining Independence”.

Then again, in 2009, another Commemorative note (paper currency) was issued in the Rs.1000/- denomination on “The ushering of peace and prosperity to Sri Lanka”.

Current Series:

On 4^th February 2011, the current series has been introduced with the theme “Development, Prosperity and Sri Lankan Dancers” for circulation to commemorate Sri Lanka’s Diamond Jubilee (60^th year) of attaining its Independence:

 This new series has done away with the Rs.10/- currency Note (10 rupee coins have already been introduced in 2009 as mentioned above) and the 10 rupee note has been replaced by the coins wef  April 2010) and introduced the high value Rs.5000/- currency note for the first time. 

A special feature of the Sri Lankan Notes that the reverse side details are printed vertically and have to be viewed by turning the note accordingly. Also as a security feature, the white watermark window has an inset of the bird shown on the right hand side of the various currency notes.

The banknotes are presently being issued in the denominations of, Rs.20/- , Rs.50/-, Rs.100/-, Rs.200/-, Rs.500/-,Rs.1000/- and Rs.5000/-. The following images are from Jayant's fabulous collection of Currency Notes from across the World:

20 rupees: (predominant colour: maroon) The front of the note has an artist’s impression of the Port of Colombo in the centre. To the right side of the note is a bird “Sri Lanka Serendib Scops Owl” (Otus thilohoffmanni) and a butterfly, the “Baronet” (Symphaedra nais) is seen on the bottom left hand corner.  

On the back, when viewed vertically, are a “Ves Netuma” dancer and a “Geta Bera” drummer. A “Punkalasa” guard stone (Pot of Plenty) is on the top right hand side. A stylized floral motif “Liya vela” appears along the right hand side of the Note.

50 rupees: (predominant colour: blue). The front of the Note (image of a Note given above) has an artist’s impression of the newly constructed bridge at Manampitiya, alongside the old bridge common to both vehicles and trains. An ancient Railway arch bridge appears in the background. To the right of the note is a bird, the “Sri Lanka Dull Blue Flycatcher (Eumyias sordida) and on the bottom left is a butterfly “The Blue Oakleaf” (Kallima philarchus).

Notice that the  “Central Bank of Sri Lanka” is mentioned on the top in Sinhala, Tamil and English and the Armorial Ensign of Sri Lanka also features on the right hand side of this and every other note.

On the back of the above note, when viewed vertically, a “Vadiga Patuna” dancer who represents the Low Country-dance form and a “Yakbera” drummer appear at the centre. To the top right of the note is depicted a “Punkalasa” guard stone (Pot of Plenty) and a stylized floral motif “Liya vela” appears along the right hand side of the Note.

100 rupees: (predominant colour: orange) On the front of the note (image given above) is an artist’s impression of the “Norochcholai Coal Power Plant Project” and the “Laxapana Waterfall”, with power cables surrounding it in the background. The bird on the right side of the Note is the “Sri Lanka Orange Billed Babbler” (Turdoides rufescens); while a butterfly “the autumn leaf” (Doleschallia bisaltidae) appears on the lower left side. 

On the back of the Note, when viewed vertically, are a “Bharatnatyam dancer” and a “Mridangam” drummer in the centre. A “Naga” guard stone is depicted on the top right hand side and a double floral pattern called “Dvithva Liya vela” is placed on the right side of the Note.

500 rupees: (predominant colour: purple) The front of the Note  is an artist’s impression of the World Trade Centre and Bank of Ceylon Headquarters in  Colombo and the ancient Buddhist temple “Lankathilaka Viharaya” at Kandy in the background. The bird on the right hand side of the Note is the “Sri Lanka Emerald Collared Parakeet” (Layard’s Parakeet – Pssittacula calthropae) while on the lower left side is seen a butterfly “The Ceylon Indigo Royal” “Tajuria arida”.

On the back of the Note, when held vertically, a “Thelme Netuma “ dancer and a “Yak Bera” drummer are seen. On the top right of the Note is a “Padmanidhi” guard – stone and a “Dvithva liya vela” along the right side of the Note.

1000 rupees: (predominant colour: green) The front of the Note has an artist’s impression of the newly constructed Ramboda Tunnel with the Rock Wall at the same location before construction, in the background. “The Sri Lanka Hanging Parrot” (Loriculus beryllinus) is shown on the right side of the Note and a butterfly the “White Four Ring” (Ypthima ceylonica).

On the back of the Note, when viewed vertically, are a “Malpadaya Netuma” dancer and a “Davul Bera” drummer. On the top right side is a guard stone with several guardian deities and a “Dvithva liya vela” along the right side of the Note.

5000 rupees: (predominant colour: gold) On the front is an artist’s impression of the “Weheragala Dam” and the “Canyon Dam” in the background. A bird, the “Sri Lanka Yellow Eared Bulbul” (Pycnonotus penicillatus) is seen on the right side, while a butterfly “Lemon Migrant” (Catopsilia Pomona) is seen on the left hand bottom.

The back of the Note, when viewed vertically, shows a “Nagaraksha” dancer and a “Guruluraksha” dancer. A “Rathnaprasadaya” guard stone is seen on the top right side of the note, with the Kalpavrksha floral design appearing along the right side of the note.

The Heritage series:

This series preceded the current series and notes issued under this series were last printed in 2010. Nevertheless, theese Notes  are still in circulation in Sri Lanka. The following images are also scanned from Jayant’s currency collection:

10 rupees: Predominant Colour: deep brown and green on multicolour underprint. On the front, on the right hand side is a Sinhalese Chinze. 

“Central Bank of Sri Lanka” the CBSL Governor’s promise to pay and the denomination of the Note are all mentioned in Sinhala, and Tamil, besides English. Notice that the Sri Lankan Armorial Ensign which appeared on the later series Notes given above is conspicuous for its absence in the Heritage series.

This currency note carries the CBSL Governor's "Promise to pay" dated 03.07.2006.

On the back, when viewed vertically is the Presidential Secretariat building in Colombo, with flowers on the lower foreground. The Chinze appears in the white watermark window as a security feature. On the upper right and side is a picture of a Painted stork (Mycteria Leucocephala).

20 Rupees: On the front is the image of a native bird mask and on the back fishermen are there, when the Note is viewed vertically.

 50 Rupee Note: A man wearing a hat of ceremony is depicted on the front and a decorated sword is highlighted on the back.

100 Rupees: Predominant colour: Orange and dark Brown on multicolour underprint. On the front, at the right hand side is a decorated earthenware jar/ urn.The Note is carrying the CBSL Governor's "Promise" dated 19.11.2005:

On the back , when viewed vertically can be seen tea-leaf pickers in a tea garden, with two Rose-ringed parakeets (Psittacula Krameri) sitting on a shrub in the foreground.

200 Rupees: Predominant colour: Greenish black on blue, orange and multicolour underprint. On the front is a temple at the upper centre-right above a collage of modern scenes across lower left to right.

On the back, when viewed vertically,  is a palace at the upper centre-right above a collage of medieval scenes of British landing in Sri Lanka.

500 Rupees:  Predominant colour: Dark Brown, purple and brown orange on multicolour underprint. The front side of the Note shows the image of a dancer and 2 musicians (drummers).This Note is carrying the CBSL Governor's promise dated 19.11.2005:

On the back, when viewed vertically, are a stork-billed kingfisher bird (Halcyon capensis) above a temple and orchids (flowers) in the foreground.

  1000 Rupees: Predominant Colour: Brown, dark green and purple on multicolour underprint. On the front, there is a Sinhalese Chinze at the lower left, a two headed bird at the bottom centre, a decorated  elephant with its “Mahout” (Trainer) on the right hand side.

On the back , when viewed vertically, is  a picture of peacocks on the Palace lawns. There is also the Octagon temple of the Tooth in Kandy with Lotus flowers above.

2000 Rupees: Predominant colour: Green on orange and yellow on multicolour underprint. The fortress of Sigiriya on an ancient cliff is shown on the front side. This Note is also carrying the Governor's promise dated 02.11.2005:

On the back, when viewed vertically, is a woman with flowers is depicted on the back.

REFERENCE LINKS:

 State Bank of India post link:

http://exclusivecoins.blogspot.in/2011/06/23celebrating-two-hundred-years-of.html