Catalog
20 000 Reis Bolama seal
| Issuer | Banco Nacional Ultramarino |
|---|---|
| Year | 1909 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | Black on multicolour underprint. Portrait vignette of Vasco da Gama at left, with a sailing ship vignette at right; a Type I red official seal of the Bolama agency applied at lower centre. The note is dated 1 March 1909 and bears the issuing authority legend across the face. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Printed in red and orange on a dense guilloche underprint. A central circular vignette, ringed by the legend BANCO NACIONAL ULTRAMARINO, contains an allegorical seated female figure with sailing ships in the background; the denomination numeral 20 appears in large characters to either side within the elaborate lathe-work border. |
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| Comments |
The Banco Nacional Ultramarino was the sole institution authorized to issue banknotes across Portuguese overseas territories, and this 20,000 Réis belongs to the series overprinted for Guinea — specifically validated for circulation through the Bolama branch, then the colonial capital. The "Bolama seal" designation distinguishes it from otherwise identical plates prepared for other BNU territories; the same Bradbury Wilkinson printing served multiple colonies, differentiated only by the validation stamp applied before release.
Bolama lost its status as capital to Bissau in 1941, which puts a hard ceiling on how long notes bearing this seal could have remained in active use.