Catalog
10 Patacas
| Issuer | Banco Nacional Ultramarino |
|---|---|
| Year | 1944 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Brown monochrome note with the bank title BANCO NACIONAL ULTRAMARINO across the top in large serif lettering, flanked by the numeral 10 in each upper corner. The Portuguese royal arms vignette appears at the left, while a circular bank seal with a steamship vignette is positioned at the right. The central area carries the MACAU overprint in large red capital letters above the denomination text DEZ PATACAS within an intricate guilloche underprint, with serial numbers and decree reference printed across the upper register and two manuscript signatures at the lower margin. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | 澳門 大西洋國海外理銀行 戴忠繼續管任位頓 葡幣拾圓票 |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | Log in to see details |
| Variants | Log in to see details |
| Comments |
Banco Nacional Ultramarino was a Lisbon-based institution, but the 1944 Macau pataca notes were printed locally by Litografia Sin Chon & Ca. — an unusual arrangement driven by the wartime isolation of the territory. Japanese forces occupied surrounding Guangdong, cutting Macau off from normal supply and production channels. Portugal's neutrality kept the enclave out of direct conflict, but it also meant no resupply from Lisbon, and the colonial administration had to improvise.
Local lithographic production with a watermarked cotton substrate was a reasonable solution under the circumstances, though the print quality reflects the limitations of a small commercial press working under wartime conditions.