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5 Avos Banco Nacional Ultramarino
| Issuer | Banco Nacional Ultramarino |
|---|---|
| Year | 1946 |
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| Printer | Hongkong Printing Press (1946) Ltd., Hong Kong |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Printed entirely in green, the reverse centres on the Portuguese royal coat of arms encircled by a laurel wreath, set within a large ornate scalloped cartouche. The bank name 'BANCO NACIONAL ULTRAMARINO' arcs around the upper portion of the central vignette, with 'CINCO AVOS' at the left and the Chinese denomination characters '伍仙' at the right. The word 'MACAU' appears in a scroll below the arms flanked by Chinese characters '澳門', and 'COLÓNIA PORTUGUESA' is inscribed along the bottom margin. |
| Reverse lettering | CINCO AVOS 仙伍 BANCO NACIONAL ULTRAMARINO MACAU 門澳 COLÓNIA PORTUGUESA |
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| Comments |
The Banco Nacional Ultramarino served as the note-issuing authority for Portuguese Macau from its concession in 1902, and this 5 Avos — essentially a fractional note — was produced locally in Hong Kong rather than in Lisbon or Coimbra. That printing choice was entirely practical: wartime disruptions had already severed reliable long-distance supply chains, and by 1946 the Hong Kong press offered a faster, cheaper solution for low-denomination fiduciary paper.
The avo denominations were notoriously short-lived in circulation, worn down quickly and seldom saved. Intact examples at this size are harder to find than the higher denominations of the same issue.