Catalog
10 Escudos
| Issuer | Banco Nacional Ultramarino |
|---|---|
| Year | 1921 |
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| Currency | Escudo (1914-1974) |
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| Obverse description | Brown intaglio print on multicolour guilloche underprint. Portrait vignette of Francisco de Oliveira Chamiço at left, the Portuguese Coat of Arms at lower centre, and the bank seal at right. Two overprinted red legends reading 'S. TOMÉ e PRÍNCIPE' appear on the face. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | BANCO NACIONAL ULTRAMARINO PROVINCIA DE S. TOMÉ e PRÍNCIPE DEZ ESCUDOS PAGAVEL NAS DEPENDENCIAS DA PROVINCIA DE S. TOMÉ e PRÍNCIPE LISBOA, 1 de Janeiro de 1921. BRADBURY, WILKINSON & Co. Ld. GRAVADORES, LONDRES (Translation: National Overseas Bank Province of St. Thomas and Prince Ten Escudos Payable at the branches of the Province of St. Thomas and Prince Lisbon, 1 January 1921. Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co. Ltd. Engravers, London) |
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| Comments |
Banco Nacional Ultramarino occupied an unusual position in Portuguese finance — a private institution holding the note-issuing concession for Portugal's overseas territories rather than the metropolitan Banco de Portugal. This 1921 10 Escudos was issued for circulation in Portuguese Guinea, one of several West African territories served by BNU paper during this period, when the escudo had only recently replaced the mil-réis system following the 1911 monetary reform.
Bradbury, Wilkinson produced some of the more technically accomplished colonial currency of the early twentieth century, and their intaglio work for BNU was no exception. The paper itself is known to brown unevenly with age — examine the margins carefully against the central field before grading.