I am trying to identify Fonts used for watermarks on Ceylon Currency Notes from 1850 to 1940 of which I show images on http://notes.lakdiva.org/watermarks.html . Most online font identification sites have trouble with these watermark images as the text on the currency note is mixed in with watermark text which I have highlighted by back illumination.

These are probably standard 19th-century fonts. I am trying to create images of just the watermark for my educational website  http://notes.lakdiva.org/ in which I wish to document these currency notes and having the fonts identified will make the process practical and better than just trying drawing them.  

For example, in the attached image the watermark reads CEYLON CURRENCY FIVE POUNDS written in a bright outline in 3 lines. It is also posted at http://notes.lakdiva.org/british/psd/1850_gtgc_sterling.html

Any help in identifying the 5 or 6 fonts used on the watermarks will be much appreciated.

For obvious reasons, banknotes don’t use readily available typefaces. This is engraved lettering especially made for the purpose.

 

Here are a few close looking typefaces to get you on the right track.

Nothing identical because as Riccardo said correctly, there are obvious reasons.

1) CEYLON top lettering in similar to "OPTI Circus Caps". A google search for Circus typefaces will get you some similar faces, Letraset did one years ago which for the life in me I forget the name.

2) CEYLON CURRENCY FIVE POUNDS watermark try "Cheque Black" or "Engravers Roman".

3) THE BEARER... "Englische Schriebschrift" or "Bank Script" might help. 

4) CEYLONESE WRITING - Search for Sinhalese type in google, there will be a typeface built into OSX or Windows for sure.

Hope this gets you started.