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50 000 Reis
| Issuer | Banco Nacional Ultramarino |
|---|---|
| Year | 1909 |
| Type | Specimen |
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|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | BANCO NACIONAL ULTRAMARINO O THESOUREIRO DA FILIALA EM LOURENÇO MARQUES PAGARÁ Á VISTA AO PORTADOR CINCOENTA MIL REIS EM MOEDA CORRENTE VALOR RECEBIDO |
| Reverse description | The reverse is dominated by a large central oval vignette encircled by the bank's name, within which a seated allegorical female figure is shown with sailing ships in the background, rendered in fine intaglio engraving. The denomination numeral "50" appears in large letterpress figures on either side of the central vignette against an intricate guilloche underprint in blue-green tones. A panel inscription at upper centre references payment at the Lourenço Marques branch. |
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| Comments |
Banco Nacional Ultramarino was Portugal's primary instrument for colonial finance, and notes of this denomination were intended for large commercial transactions in the overseas territories rather than everyday exchange. The 50,000 Réis face value was substantial — by 1909 this represented serious purchasing power in any Portuguese colonial market.
Bradbury Wilkinson printed this series at their New Malden works in Surrey. Their intaglio work of this period is technically accomplished, and the BNU contracted them repeatedly across multiple colonial currencies through the early twentieth century.
P#43 is scarce in any grade; the 1909 BNU issues generally survived in low numbers, partly because large-denomination notes in active commercial use suffer harder attrition than low-value retail notes.