Description

Sri Lanka 500 Rupees Pick 100as Specimen, BNB B105as1
1987, Diagonal red SPECIMEN and DLR oval overprints front and back
Serial Number: B/1 000000
Printer: Bradbury Wilkinson & Company
PMG 66 EPQ — Gem Uncirculated, Exceptional Paper Quality

Obverse: Stone carving (korawakgala) of elephant with rider at the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic in Kandy
Reverse: Abhayagiri stupa and Anuradhapura temple

A historically significant specimen: printed by Bradbury Wilkinson & Company, one of Britain’s most respected security printers, yet cancelled with De La Rue oval overprints — a direct reflection of the 1986 acquisition of Bradbury Wilkinson by De La Rue. Operations under the Bradbury Wilkinson name ceased in 1990, making this 1987 specimen a transitional piece produced in the final years before the imprint disappeared entirely. The combination of a Bradbury Wilkinson-printed note bearing De La Rue cancellation stamps is a rare and tangible record of that corporate transition.

PMG Certification: https://www.pmgnotes.com/certlookup/2032617-029