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50 Centavos
| Issuer | Banco Nacional Ultramarino |
|---|---|
| Year | 1914 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 50 Centavos (0.50) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Printer | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | The obverse is printed in olive-green and red on a pale guilloche underprint, with the denomination numeral '50' in a circular vignette at left and the Portuguese National Coat of Arms in an ornate cartouche at right. A central oval medallion bears the circular blue seal of the Banco Nacional Ultramarino, Lisboa, with a steamship motif. The date 'Lisboa, 5 de Novembro de 1914' appears at lower right, flanked by two manuscript signature lines for the Vice-Governor and Governor. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse is printed in dark brown and features a large central oval vignette with an allegorical female figure seated in the foreground, a square-rigged sailing ship visible behind her to the right. Flanking the central vignette are two symmetrical ornate cartouches, each bearing the denomination '0$50' within elaborate guilloche scrollwork. The printer's imprint appears at the bottom centre. |
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| Comments |
The Banco Nacional Ultramarino, headquartered in Lisbon but chartered to operate across Portuguese overseas territories, issued this 50 Centavos note during the early years of the Portuguese Republic — a period of chronic monetary instability when small-denomination paper was pushed into circulation largely because silver coins had effectively vanished from everyday trade. Hoarding and metal shortages made fractional notes a practical necessity rather than a policy choice.
Bradbury Wilkinson's involvement places this among the better-produced colonial issues of the period. The firm's intaglio work was considered reliable for anti-counterfeiting purposes at a time when the Republic's credibility was not.