Catalog
20 000 Réis
| Issuer | Banco Nacional Ultramarino |
|---|---|
| Year | 1909 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | BANCO NACIONAL ULTRAMARINO O THESOUREIRO DA FILIAL EM LOANDA PAGARÁ Á VISTA AO PORTADOR VINTE MIL REIS EM MOEDA CORRENTE VALOR RECEBIDO (Translation: National Overseas Bank, The Branch Treasurer in Luanda, Will pay the holder on sight twenty thousand réis in current currency) |
| Reverse description | Central oval vignette of a seated female figure rendered in intaglio within an elaborate guilloche surround in warm orange and red tones, flanked by the denomination numeral "20" on both left and right. Sailing ships appear in the background of the vignette. The bank name "BANCO NACIONAL ULTRAMARINO" arcs across the upper portion of the central medallion, with the payability inscription at the top margin. |
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| Comments |
Banco Nacional Ultramarino occupied an unusual position in Portuguese colonial finance — chartered in Lisbon but operating as the note-issuing authority across multiple overseas territories simultaneously, including Mozambique, Angola, Cape Verde, and Portuguese India. A single plate design could be adapted and overstamped for entirely different territories, which makes attribution of any BNU issue to a specific circulation area worth examining carefully before assuming provenance.
Bradbury Wilkinson handled BNU printing contracts across several decades and series. By 1909 the firm was well established in colonial currency work for multiple European powers, and their intaglio standards were consistent. Pick 35 sits within a high-denomination tier that would have seen limited teller-counter use — 20,000 Réis was substantial money in any Portuguese territory at this date.
Portugal's shift to the Escudo system came in 1911, making this a very late Réis-denominated issue.