Catalog
2.50 Escudos
| Issuer | Banco Nacional Ultramarino |
|---|---|
| Year | 1921 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | BANCO NACIONAL ULTRAMARINO PROVINCIA DE S. TOMÉ e PRÍNCIPE DOIS ESCUDOS E CINCOENTA CENTAVOS PAGAVEL NAS DEPENDENCIAS DA PROVINCIA DE S. TOMÉ e PRÍNCIPE LISBOA, 1 de Janeiro de 1921. THOMAS DE LA RUE & COMPANY LIMITED LONDRES (Translation: National Overseas Bank, Province of St. Thomas and Prince, Two Escudos and Fifty Cents, Payable at the branches of the Province of St. Thomas and Prince, Lisbon, 1 January 1921. Thomas De La Rue & Company Limited, London) |
| Reverse description | Dark blue. Central vignette of a female allegorical figure with sailing ships in the background. A black overprint of 'S. TOMÉ e PRÍNCIPE' appears on the face of the note. |
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| Comments |
Banco Nacional Ultramarino occupied an unusual position in Portuguese colonial finance — it held a monopoly on note issue across multiple overseas territories simultaneously, meaning the same institution was managing currency for Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde, and others at once. This particular denomination, 2.50 Escudos, reflects the awkward transitional arithmetic that followed Portugal's 1911 switch from the Réis system, where 1 Escudo replaced 1,000 Réis. Fractional values like 2.50 persisted because everyday prices hadn't yet rationalized around the new unit.
Thomas De La Rue handled the printing, as they did for much of BNU's colonial output in this period.