Timeline

• 08.06.1796
• Governor's proclamation on the continuation of the Dutch accounting in Rixdollar (Rijksdaalder) of 48 Stivers (Stuiver); effective immediately (?)
• 1801-1815
• Issuance of local copper coinage:
  - 06.05.1801: Contract with the A.P. Blume mint on coins of 4, 2, 1 Stivers at 37 Stivers to the Amsterdam pound copper
  - ??.05.1802: Contract with the Soho Mint (Birmingham) on coins of 1, ½, ¼ Stiver at 37 Stivers to the English troy pound copper
  - 29.03.1803: Contract with the A.P. Blume mint on coins of 4, 2, 1 Stivers at 50 Stivers to the English pound avoirdupois copper; note: the coins show an elephant facing to the left
  - ??.05.1803: Contract with the J.A. Hikken mint (Trincomalee) on coins of 4, 2 Stivers at 50 Stivers to the English pound avoirdupois copper; note: the coins show an elephant facing to the right
  - 14.11.1812: Mint order to the Government Mint on coins of 4, 2, 1 Stivers at 50 Stivers to the English pound avoirdupois copper.
• 1803-1809
• Issuance of "dump" local silver coinage by the mint of Adriaan Pieter Blume:
  - 04.02.1803: Contract on coins of 1 Rixdollar at 50 Rixdollars to the Amsterdam pound silver 10 ounces (Rixdollar = 8'234.90mg AG fine); note: the coins show an elephant facing to the right
  - 08.06.1803: Contract on coins of 1, ½ Rixdollar at 50 Rixdollars to the English pound avoirdupois silver 10⁷⁄₁₀ ounces (Rixdollar = 8'089.16mg AG fine); note: the coins show an elephant facing to the left
  - 17.02.1808: Contract on silver coins of 2, 1, ½ Rixdollars at 50 Rixdollars to the English pound avoirdupois silver 10 ounces (Rixdollar = 7'559.97mg AG fine).
• 10.03.1812
• Governor's proclamation on the rating of the Rixdollar at 1¾ Shillings Sterling (Pound Sterling = 11³⁄₇ Rixdollars); effective immediately (?)
• 1815-1821
• Issuance of silver and copper coinage by the Royal Mint:
  - 01.12.1814: Mint order to the Royal Mint on coins of 1 Rixdollar at 47½ Rixdollars to the English pound avoirdupois silver 10 ounces (Rixdollar = 7'957.86mg AG fine); not implemented
  - 01.12.1814: Mint order to the Royal Mint on coins of 2, 1, ½ Stivers at 41¹⁄₇ Stivers to the English troy pound copper
  - 09.10.1821: Mint order to the Royal Mint on coins of 1 Rixdollar (silver) at 3 Rixdollars to the Spanish Dollar (recoinage).
• 1823-1825
• Issuance of counterstamped Madras silver coins (stamp: crown):
  - 22.03.1823: Authorization of the ¼ Rupee at 4 Fanams = ⅓ Rixdollar
  - 31.12.1823: Authorization of the 1 Rupee at 14 Fanams = 1⅙ Rixdollars.
• 04.07.1825
• Regulation [No. 8] on the switch to the Sterling accounting with the Rixdollar at 1½ Shillings Sterling (Pound Sterling = 13⅓ Rixdollars), implementing a British order-in-council of 23.03.1825; effective immediately
• 05.07.1825
• Start of issuance of the British currency:
  - 05.07.1825: Starto of issuance of British coins (special denominations of 1½ Penny, ½, ¼ Farthing were used as 1 Fanam, ⅓, ⅙ Stiver)
  - 29.08.1827: Regulation [No. 8] on the issuance of government paper money in Sterling currency; effective immediately
  - 29.08.1827: Regulation [No. 9] on the withdrawal of government paper money in Rixdollar currency; effective 15.11.1827 (extended to 31.12.1831)
  - 17.08.1830: Regulation [No. 6] on the withdrawal of the copper subsidiary coinage in Rixdollar currency; effective 01.01.1831.
• 26.09.1836
• Governer's note on the rating of the Indian Rupee at 2 Shillings Sterling; led to the circulation of Indian currency rather than British

Timeline

• 18.06.1869
• Ordinance [Order in Council] on the creation of a Ceylonese currency; effective 01.01.1872 (per proclamation of 26.08.1871)
• 01.01.1872
• Start of currency exchange:
  - 01.01.1872: Start of issuance Ceylonese decimal subsidiary coins, circulating alongside the Indian coins
  - 17.03.1874: Governor's proclamation on the demonetization of all coinage denominated in Rixdollar; effective 17.09.1874.
• 17.12.1884
• Ordinance [Paper Currency, No. 32] on the creation of the Currency Commission and issuance of government paper money; effective 01.01.1885
• 28.06.1892
• Ordinance [Coinage (Ceylon) Order] on the demonetization of the non-decimal Indian subsidiary coinage (amendment of a first version of 06.02.1892); effective 30.09.1892
  - 17.07.1893: Ordinance [Coinage (Ceylon) (Amendment) Order] on the demonetization of the silver Rupee of Portuguese India; effective 19.07.1893.
• 26.09.1901
• Ordinance [Coinage (Ceylon) Amendment Order in Council] on the switch to the gold standard based on the British Sovereign at 15 Ceylonese Rupees; effective 25.10.1901
• 27.05.1941
• Ordinance [Currency, No. 21] on the formal currency separation from the India; effective 01.09.1941
• 25.11.1949
• Law [Monetary Law Act, No. 58] on the creation of the central bank; effective 16.12.1949
  - 28.08.1950: Start of operations of the "Central Bank of Ceylon"
  - 31.12.1985: Name change into "Central Bank of Sri Lanka".

Valuation Regimes

• 1872-1901
• Fixed rate against silver. Base weight is the English troy pound / 16 ounces / 480 grains at 373.242 grams.
• 1901-1967
• Fixed rate against British Pound
• 1967-1972
• Fixed rate against US Dollar
• 1972-1976
• Fixed rate against British Pound
• 1976-
• Variable rate