5 Libras

Banco da Beira was a commercial bank operating out of Beira in Portuguese East Africa — present-day Mozambique — and its note-issuing authority was narrow in scope and short-lived. This 5 Libras dates to a period when the libra was still in use as a unit of account in Portuguese colonial territories, before the escudo system was consolidated across the empire in the early 1920s. The choice of Bradbury Wilkinson for printing was typical of colonial banking institutions seeking credibility through a reputable London security printer.

The R-prefix in the Pick reference signals a regional issue, reflecting the limited geographical validity of these notes.