Catalog
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
| Issuer | Banco Nacional Ultramarino |
|---|---|
| Year | 1921 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Portrait vignette of Francisco de Oliveira Chamiço at left, with the seal of the Banco Nacional Ultramarino at center. The denomination appears centrally, with the Portuguese National Coat of Arms below, all set within a guilloche-patterned border typical of Bradbury Wilkinson engraving. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | BANCO NACIONAL ULTRAMARINO + PROVINCIA + — DE — ANGOLA CINCOENTA ESCUDOS PAGAVEL NAS DEPENDENCIAS DA PROVINCIA DE ANGOLA (Translation: National Overseas Bank, Province of Angola, Fifty Escudos, Payable on the premises of the province of Angola) |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | Log in to see details |
| Variants | Log in to see details |
| Comments |
Banco Nacional Ultramarino occupied an unusual position in Portuguese finance: it was a private bank granted colonial note-issuing rights across Portuguese Africa, India, and the Pacific territories simultaneously. This 1921 issue was almost certainly destined for one of those colonial territories rather than metropolitan Portugal — BNU's domestic role was always secondary to its overseas mandate, and the Lisbon government's own Banco de Portugal held the mainland monopoly.
Bradbury Wilkinson handled a substantial portion of BNU's colonial note production during this period, a relationship that persisted across multiple territories and denominations. The London connection was purely practical: domestic Portuguese printing capacity for high-security intaglio work was limited.