Catalog
50 000 Réis
| Issuer | Banco Nacional Ultramarino |
|---|---|
| Year | 1909 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 50 000 Réis (50 000) |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | BANCO NACIONAL ULTRAMARINO O THESOUREIRO DA FILIAL EM LOANDA PAGARÁ Á VISTA AO PORTADOR CINCOENTA MIL REIS EM MOEDA CORRENTE VALOR RECEBIDO (Translation: National Overseas Bank, The Branch Treasurer in Luanda, Will pay the holder on sight fifty thousand réis in current currency, value received) |
| Reverse description | A female allegorical figure occupies the central position of the reverse, flanked symmetrically by sailing ship vignettes. Ornamental guilloche borders frame the composition, with the bank's name and Luanda payability clause rendered in letterpress within the upper and lower panels. |
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| Comments |
Banco Nacional Ultramarino occupied a peculiar position in Portuguese colonial finance — it held note-issuing rights across multiple overseas territories simultaneously, meaning the same institution was printing currency for places as far apart as Mozambique, Cape Verde, and Macau. This particular issue, denominated in réis, sits in the final years before Portugal abandoned that currency system entirely: the escudo replaced the réis in 1911, making 1909-dated notes short-lived by design.
Bradbury Wilkinson produced the plates in London, as they did for numerous colonial and semi-colonial issuers of the period who lacked domestic security printing infrastructure. The 50,000 réis face value — a consequence of the réis system's chronic inflation requiring unwieldy denominations — would have represented significant purchasing power in the territories where BNU notes circulated.