|
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
| KM# 159 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Obverse : Within a plain circle, an artists impression of the famous
Lion sculpture found at Anuradhapura in the ruins of a a structure
near the Abhaya Reservoir and said to be the Royal Palace (Circa 250
BC). A similar sculpture (36 x 27 cm) has been found on the
balustrade of a building identified as the Queen's Pavilion. The lion
symbolizes the identity of Sri Lanka as a nation.
The large Number 50 appears on the bottom with
the period 1948 and 1998 on either side.
The Text
නිදහස්
සමරුව
in Sinhala on top,
சுதந்திர
ஆண்டுநிறைவு
in Thamil on the left,
INDEPENDENCE ANNIVERSARY on the right. All within a raised rim.
Reverse : The large numeral denomination 1000 left of center with
රුපියල් දාහයි in Sinhala,
ஆயிரம் ரூபாய் in Thamil
and ONE THOUSAND RUPEES in 3 lines below.
The National Flag of Sri Lanka to upper right, intersecting
a circle of a traditional Sinhala 'Liyavela artwork with 7 petal folowers.
Above the country name
ශ්රී ලංකා in Sinhala, centered on top with,
இலங்கை in Thamil on left
and SRI LANKA on right.
Centered below and year of issue 1998.
All within circle of radial dashes along the periphery within raised rim.
The coin has been struck with one ounce of sterling silver to the
British crown coin size. The Silver Proof coin enclosed in a circular
coin case is embedded in black velvet inside a Blue 7.5cm square
spring hinged box The Emblem of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka printed
in silver on top. The official 50th anniversary of Independence logo
is printed in black on the white satin of the inside cover. A
Certificate of Authenticity contains the specifications and the text
above in Sinhala, Tamil and English.
The cardboard outer packing had some or all of Sil Ind 50 scribbled in
ink by probably CBSL to identify content within box.
The issue price was Rs 1200/- (US $18.75) in Sri Lanka in February
1998. In September 1998 it was available from the
Royal
Mint for US $54.95.
The art work of the coins has been done by the Central Bank artist, Mrs Padmanjalee Karunatillake. The coins were minted at the Royal Mint, Llantrisant, Mid Glamorgan CF72 8YT, Wales, United Kingdom. R de L Holmes, Deputy Master (Chief Executive).
The Proof commemorative coin was scaned at 300 dpi and the images are displayed at 254 dpi. It was obtained from the Central Bank of Sri Lanka.
Media Report CDN 1998 02 06