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50 Escudos Banco de Moçambique Overprint
| Issuer | Banco de Moçambique |
|---|---|
| Year | 1976 |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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| Obverse description | Black intaglio on multicolour underprint. A portrait vignette of Admiral João de Azevedo Coutinho is positioned at left centre, with the national arms rendered at upper centre right. A black letterpress overprint reading "BANCO DE MOÇAMBIQUE" is applied over the original Banco Nacional Ultramarino text, with signature lines for the Governor and Administrator below. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse lettering | BANCO NACIONAL ULTRAMARINO 50 ★ BANCO NACIONAL ULTRAMARINO ★ LISBOA - 1864 PAGÁVEL EM MOÇAMBIQUE CINQUENTA ESCUDOS |
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| Comments |
When Mozambique gained independence from Portugal in June 1975, the new Frelimo government needed circulating currency immediately but lacked the infrastructure — or the time — to commission entirely new notes. The solution was straightforward: existing Banco Nacional Ultramarino notes were overprinted with the new issuing authority's name, converting colonial paper into sovereign tender overnight. This 50 Escudos piece is a direct product of that transitional pragmatism.
Thomas De La Rue handled the overprinting in London, working on stock that had already been printed for the predecessor institution. The print run of over twelve million suggests this denomination saw heavy everyday use during the brief escudo period before the metical replaced it in 1980.