Coins of British Ceylon

The history of minting coins of the island of Ceylon began in the 1st century BC. The name of the denominations of the first coins has been lost. Historians have given them the name "Elephant and Swastika" because of the images dominating the coins. At the beginning of our era, copper coins were in circulation on the island with the image of a sineless lion and the face value indicated by convex dots. On the eve of the appearance of Europeans on the island, copper coins "mass" and gold, silver and less often copper coins "kahavanu" were minted, which indicated the names of the current rulers of the island of Ceylon.

 

The Portuguese were the first Europeans to arrive on the island of Ceylon in 1505. In 1658, the island became a Dutch colony, and only in 1796 - an English one . Without exception, colonial powers issued coins for circulation on the island. The first Portuguese coins were issued in 1597, the first Dutch in 1660. 

 

The English issue their first coins for the island in 1801. These were copper coins in denominations of 1/48, 1/24 and 1/12 riksdollar. The name of the currency - transformed from "Riksdaller," was inherited from its predecessors - the Dutch. In 1803, 1808, in addition to the line, silver coins in denominations of 24, 48 and 96 stivers were issued, and in 1814 - a coin in denominations of 1 fan token. The reverse of all denominations depicts an elephant. All coins of these issues are made by hand minting.

 

To understand the complex monetary system of the island of Ceylon of that period, you need to familiarize yourself with the ratio of denominations.
1 fan = 4 stivers
1 Riksdollar = 12 fans = 48 stivers
1 stiver = 4 paisa

 

At the same time, starting in 1802, machine coinage coins were issued parallel to hand-coinage coins, better made and standardized in size and weight, having denominations of 1/192, 1/96 and 1/48 riksdollar, which were also made on copper blanks.

 

In 1815, a line of copper coins with denominations of ½, 1 and 2 stivers was put into circulation with an image instead of the denomination numbers on the obverse of the profile of the English king William III. The reverse of the coins depicts the same elephant. In 1821, the only coin with the profile of King William IV was issued - silver rixdollar.

 

In 1825, Riksdollar as the official currency of Ceylon ceased to exist. It was succeeded by the British pound sterling. Coins of Great Britain received the status of the only legal tender on the island. At the same time, starting in 1836, along with British coins, coins of British India (rupees and annas) were semi-legally in circulation, which were exchanged at a rate of 2 shillings = 1 rupee. The Indian rupee became the "legal" tender only on June 18, 1869. That is why for almost 50 years special coins for Ceylon have not been issued. And only in 1872, Great Britain issued a limited line of coins for circulation in its colony, and immediately in the decimal system. All coins bear the date "1870." The mint includes denominations of ¼, ½, 1 and 5 cents. Coins are made on copper blanks. Instead of depicting an elephant, the reverse of the coins depicted the profile of Queen Victoria, and on the obverse of the coins - a palm tree and the denomination in words in a circle.

 

 

Only in 1892 silver coins in denominations of 10, 25 and 50 cents came into circulation.

 

 

When King Edward VII came to power in Great Britain, the portrait of the current monarch on the reverse changed by itself. But at the same time, the design of the obverse and the composition of the line of coins have not undergone significant changes. This time, the first (in 1902) coins were issued from silver, the same 0.800 sample, and only in 1904 bronze coins .

 

 

Due to the fact that a rather large amount of copper was spent on the manufacture of weighty coins with a face value of 5 cents, in 1909 it was decided to issue this face value on copper-nickel blanks, and a square shape "unconventional" for Great Britain. For Ceylon, this form of coins was already in the history of the island. Similar looked "kahapans" - silver coins of the ancient Indian state of Magadha, brought to the island by traders in the III-I centuries BC. "Kahapans" were made by cutting squares of certain sizes from sheet silver. Then, to adjust the weight to a certain standard, the corners of the cut squares were cut.

 

 

They decided not to issue a coin with a face value of ¼ cents with the profile of the next English monarch George V. The rest of the denominations are the same, and in a similar design. In 1919, against the backdrop of the global financial crisis caused by the First World War, the silver sample dropped to 0.550.

 

 

George V coins were issued in several stages. At first, in 1937, only two denominations of coins were issued - ½ cents and 1 cent on copper blanks.

 

 

The first of the silver coins with the George VI profile in denominations of 10 cents was issued only in 1941. A year later, in 1942, a 50-cent coin was issued. It is noteworthy that the silver sample was again raised to 0.800. Coins of these denominations survived only one year of issue, and a denomination of 25 cents in silver was never issued.

 

 

The next line of coins was issued at the height of World War II - in 1942-1944. Like other countries participating in World War II, the material of blanks for the manufacture of coins has changed. The denomination of 1 cent was reissued on bronze blanks, the remaining denominations on blanks made of nickel-brass alloy. Also, it should be noted that a new denomination has appeared - 2 cents, first made, like the updated 10 cents, on wavy blanks.

 

 

It should be noted that the denominations of coins of 1 and 5 cents with the date "1945" were minted until 1962, even after the death of King George VI.

 

In 1948, Ceylon gained fictitious independence from Great Britain, having received the status of its dominion. In 1951, coins with George VI were reissued, and in 1955, the only 2-cent coin for Ceylon with the profile of Elizabeth II was issued. Since then, the monarchs of Great Britain have no longer appeared on Ceylon coins. In 1972, the state was renamed the Republic of Sri Lanka, ceased to be a dominion of Great Britain, while remaining a member of the British Commonwealth of Nations.