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2 500 Reis
| Issuer | Banco Nacional Ultramarino |
|---|---|
| Year | 1909 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | Portrait of Vasco da Gama in a vignette at left, the colonial arms at upper centre, and an oval seal inscribed 'Filial em Lourenço Marques' at lower centre; a vignette of sailing ships occupies the right portion of the design. The face value and bank name are set within ornate guilloche borders with fine letterpress legends. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | A central oval vignette enclaved within dense guilloche work presents an allegorical female figure seated at left, with a tall-masted sailing ship rendered in the background at right. The denomination '2500' appears in large numerals at both lateral margins, and the bank name arcs in bold letterpress around the upper portion of the central medallion. A printer's imprint is visible at the lower margin. |
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| Comments |
Banco Nacional Ultramarino occupied an unusual position in Portuguese colonial finance — chartered in 1864 with the exclusive right to issue currency across Portugal's overseas territories, it functioned less like a central bank and more like a privileged commercial lender with note-issuing powers. This 2$500 Reis note was printed by Bradbury Wilkinson at their New Malden works in Surrey, a firm that by 1909 had already established itself as a preferred security printer for colonial and quasi-sovereign issuers across the British and Lusophone worlds.
The Reis system was already living on borrowed time. Portugal decimalized in 1911, replacing the Reis with the Escudo at a rate of 1000 Reis to one Escudo, making this a late-series note issued just two years before the entire denomination structure was abolished.