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50 Centavos
| Issuer | Banco da Beira |
|---|---|
| Year | 1919 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 50 Centavos (0.50) |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
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| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | The obverse is printed in orange and brown tones over an intricate guilloche underprint, with the Portuguese royal arms as a central vignette at upper centre. The denomination panel "CINCOENTA CENTAVOS" appears in two ornate cartouches flanking the arms, with the issuer name "BANCO DA BEIRA" in large bold letterpress below. The date "15 de Setembro de 1919" and place "Beira" are printed at lower left, with two manuscript signatures for the Gerente and the Administrador, and the overprinted word "PRATA" in a ruled box at top centre. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | CINCOENTA CENTAVOS |
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| Comments |
Banco da Beira was one of several short-lived regional concession banks operating in Portuguese colonial Mozambique, and its notes were never intended for wide circulation — the bank's mandate was essentially local to the Beira trading zone. The 50 Centavos denomination was practical currency for port and market transactions in a city that had only been formally founded in 1891 and was still building its commercial infrastructure by 1919.
Bradbury Wilkinson printed for dozens of colonial issuers during this period, and the quality of their intaglio work is consistent here. The Pick R4 designation — the "R" prefix indicating regional issue — reflects the note's geographically constrained legal tender status.