Catalog
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| Issuer | Banco Nacional Ultramarino |
|---|---|
| Year | 1914 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse is printed in blue-green tones and presents a central allegorical vignette of a seated female figure, rendered in fine intaglio line engraving, with a sailing vessel and steamship in the background. Two large circular guilloche medallions bearing the denomination '0$10' flank the central scene at left and right, enclosed within intricate lathe-work borders. The bank's name 'BANCO NACIONAL ULTRAMARINO' is inscribed across the top in a divided ribbon, and the printer's imprint 'BRADBURY WILKINSON & C.º GRAVADORES LONDRES' appears at the bottom centre. |
| Reverse lettering | BANCO NACIONAL ULTRAMARINO 0$10 (Translation: National Overseas Bank, 0.10 Escudo) |
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| Comments |
Banco Nacional Ultramarino's 10 Centavos of 1914 belongs to an emergency fractional currency program triggered by the acute coin shortage that struck Portuguese colonial territories — and Portugal itself — during the early war years. Silver and copper were being hoarded or melted, and small-denomination paper became the only practical substitute for everyday transactions.
Bradbury Wilkinson handled a considerable volume of colonial and dominion work during this period, and the BNU relationship was longstanding. P#40 places this note within a broader fractional series, though the 10 Centavos was among the lowest values committed to paper — an unusual concession for an institution that typically issued at far higher denominations.