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50 Centavos
| Issuer | Banco Nacional Ultramarino |
|---|---|
| Year | 1914 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Escudo (1914-1928) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | BANCO NACIONAL ULTRAMARINO EM S. THOMÉ CINCOENTA CENTAVOS MOEDA CORRENTE (Translation: National Overseas Bank in São Tomé, Fifty centavos, current currency) |
| Reverse description | The reverse is engraved in brown tones and presents a central allegorical vignette of a seated female figure, rendered in fine intaglio line work, with a tall sailing ship visible in the background. Two symmetrical guilloche medallions flanking the central vignette each carry the denomination '0$50'. The issuer's name is inscribed in ribbon banners across the top, and the printer's imprint 'BRADBURY WILKINSON & Cº Lº GRAVADORES · LONDRES' appears at the lower margin. |
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| Comments |
Banco Nacional Ultramarino's 50 Centavos of 1914 was part of a fractional issue driven by a shortage of small coin across Portugal's overseas territories — a chronic problem that pushed colonial administrations toward paper substitutes for denominations that would normally never appear on a banknote. Bradbury Wilkinson had been the BNU's preferred security printer for years, and the relationship was well-established by the time this series was commissioned.
Pick 48 is scarce in any grade. Low-denomination fractionals circulated hard and were discarded rather than saved.