5 Centavos

The Banco Nacional Ultramarino's Cape Verde issues of 1914 were authorized under emergency provisions prompted by wartime disruption to coin supply — small change had effectively vanished from circulation across Portugal's Atlantic territories as silver was hoarded and metal requisitioned. Bradbury, Wilkinson produced the series for multiple BNU branches simultaneously, with the "S. Tiago" overprint or designation distinguishing notes intended for Santiago Island specifically, Cape Verde's most populous island and administrative center.

P#11A is among the scarcer branch-designated low denominations from this emergency issue. The cotton substrate held up poorly in the humid coastal climate.