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20 000 Réis
| Issuer | Banco Nacional Ultramarino |
|---|---|
| Year | 1909 |
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| Composition | Paper |
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| Obverse description | Central vignette of Vasco da Gama (c. 1460–1524), the Portuguese explorer credited as the first European to reach India by sea, set within an oval frame alongside a scene of his embarkation in 1497. The design is executed in intaglio on a guilloche underprint, with the issuing bank's legends arranged around the central composition. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | BANCO NACIONAL ULTRAMARINO O THESOUREIRO DA FILIAL EM LOANDA PAGARÁ Á VISTA AO PORTADOR VINTE MIL REIS EM MOEDA CORRENTE VALOR RECEBIDO (Translation: National Overseas Bank, The Branch Treasurer in Luanda, Will pay the holder on sight twenty thousand réis in current currency) |
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| Comments |
Banco Nacional Ultramarino occupied an unusual position in Portuguese colonial finance — chartered in Lisbon but operating as the note-issuing authority across multiple overseas territories simultaneously, including Mozambique, Angola, Cape Verde, and Portuguese India. A single plate design could be adapted and overstamped for entirely different territories, which makes attribution of any BNU issue to a specific circulation area worth examining carefully before assuming provenance.
Bradbury Wilkinson handled BNU printing contracts across several decades and series. By 1909 the firm was well established in colonial currency work for multiple European powers, and their intaglio standards were consistent. Pick 35 sits within a high-denomination tier that would have seen limited teller-counter use — 20,000 Réis was substantial money in any Portuguese territory at this date.
Portugal's shift to the Escudo system came in 1911, making this a very late Réis-denominated issue.