100 Escudos

São Tomé and Príncipe declared independence from Portugal on 12 July 1975, and this note belongs to the country's first independent currency series — issued through the newly established Banco Nacional before the islands had meaningful foreign exchange infrastructure or a functioning domestic economy. Bradbury Wilkinson, the New Malden firm with deep roots in colonial and post-colonial currency production across Africa, handled the print run, as they did for dozens of newly independent states navigating the transition from metropolitan-issued currency.

The escudo itself survived independence by only a few years. The dobra replaced it in 1977, making this entire series short-lived by design.