Commemorative coin to mark 125th Anniversary of Ananda College, Colombo

Tuesday, 29 November 2011 00:29 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

A commemorative coin with a face value of Rs. 2,000 to mark the 125th anniversary of Ananda College, Colombo will be launched by the Central Bank today.

Ananda College was established in 1886 and completed 125 years on November 1 2011.

The Commemorative coin is a frosted proof crown size silver coin. This is the 55th commemorative coin issued by the Central Bank.

The coin will be officially handed over to Minister of Finance the President Mahinda Rajapaksa by K G D D Dheerasinghe, the Senior Deputy Governor of the CBSL, in Colombo today.

This is a limited issue of 1,500 coins and a coin will be sold at a price of Rs. 8,500.

The obverse of the coin depicts the images of Venerable Mohottiwatte Gunananda Thero, Venerable Hikkaduwe Sumangala Thero and Colonel Henry Steele Olcott as the founders of Ananda College. A replica of Ananda Viharaya (Shrine with Buddha Statue) appears as a backdrop with the rays depicting impact of knowledge and education. The words “Ananda College” in Sinhala appears at the bottom centre with the years 1886 - 2011 above it. “Ananda College” in Tamil and English appear on the left and right sides of the coin.

The reverse of the coin depicts the crest of Ananda College with the denomination “2000” in the centre. The word “Rupees” in Sinhala, English and Tamil appears above the numerals 2000. The words “Sri Lanka” in Sinhala appears at the top centre and in Tamil and English on the periphery of the coin.

This frosted proof silver coin is round in shape and the diameter is 38.61 mm with a weight of 28.28 grams. The coin will be issued in an attractive presentation case accompanied by a certificate of authenticity from the Royal Mint Ltd, UK.

Coins will be available for sale at the cash counters at the Head Office of the CBSL, 30, Janadhipathi Mawatha Colombo 1, Money Museum at No.58, Sri Jayewardenepura Mawatha, Rajagiriya, CBSL Provincial Offices at Anuradhapura, Matara, Matale, Jaffna and Trincomalee from 15 December 2011.