Catalog
50 Centavos
| Issuer | São Tomé and Príncipe (Portuguese Colonial Coinage) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1951 |
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| Technique | Milled |
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| Obverse description | Central field features the Portuguese colonial arms: the shield of Portugal superimposed upon an armillary sphere, the latter symbolising the Age of Discovery and Portugal's overseas empire. The crowned shield displays the traditional quinas and bordure of castles in high relief. The colonial territory name S. TOMÉ E PRÍNCIPE arcs along the upper periphery in bold Latin lettering, while the date 1951 appears in large numerals at the lower field, flanked by small floral ornaments. The entire design is enclosed within a beaded border. |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | S. TOMÉ.E.PRÍNCIPE 1951 |
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| Additional information |
Portugal's colonial coinage for São Tomé and Príncipe was administered through the Agência Geral do Ultramar, which standardized fractional issues across multiple African territories during the early 1950s — the same basic monetary framework applied from Angola to Mozambique. This 1951 issue came as the Estado Novo government under Salazar was tightening administrative control over its overseas provinces, reclassified from "colonies" to "províncias ultramarinas" the following year under the 1951 constitutional revision, a rhetorical maneuver designed to preempt UN decolonization pressure.
Struck at the Lisbon mint, this is the first and only date in the type.