1000 Escudos

Banco Nacional Ultramarino occupied an unusual position in Portuguese colonial finance — it functioned simultaneously as a commercial bank and as the note-issuing authority across multiple overseas territories, a dual role that persisted well into the twentieth century. This 1941 issue for Portuguese India came at a moment when the Estado Novo regime was navigating careful neutrality as the Second World War disrupted global trade routes, including those connecting Lisbon to Goa.

Bradbury Wilkinson's involvement here is unsurprising — the New Malden firm held long-standing contracts with numerous colonial currency authorities across the British and Portuguese empires alike. The 1000 Escudo denomination was the highest face value in regular circulation for this series, which kept these notes largely in commercial and institutional hands rather than daily retail use.