Catalog
1 Rupia
| Issuer | Banco Nacional Ultramarino |
|---|---|
| Year | 1917 |
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| Size | 122 × 71 mm |
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|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | BANCO NACIONAL ULTRAMARINO NOVA GOA UMA RUPIA MOEDA CORRENTE LISBOA 1 de Outubro de 1917 O VICE-GOVERNADOR O GOVERNADOR |
| Reverse description | Central vignette of a seated maiden gazing toward ships at sea, rendered in intaglio in a rose-red color scheme. Two circular guilloche medallions bearing the numeral 1 and the word RUPIA are positioned to the left and right, with ribbon scrollwork carrying the bank name BANCO NACIONAL ULTRAMARINO across the upper portion. Intricate lace-like guilloche borders frame the entire composition. |
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| Comments |
Banco Nacional Ultramarino's wartime rupias for Portuguese India were issued as an emergency measure after the disruptions of World War One severed normal currency supply lines to Goa. Bradbury Wilkinson had printed for BNU before, and the London connection was entirely practical — Portuguese India's monetary system was denominated in rupias and tangas, not escudos, reflecting the territory's deep commercial integration with the broader Indian subcontinent rather than with Lisbon.
The 1917 series is notably scarce in any grade. Goa's humid climate was brutal on paper currency, and low-denomination notes like this one circulated hard before wearing out entirely.