50 Escudos

Banco Nacional Ultramarino occupied an unusual position in Portuguese colonial finance — a private institution chartered in Lisbon but functioning as the effective central bank across Portugal's overseas territories. This 50 Escudos was issued for Angola, one of several African territories the BNU served concurrently, each requiring separately designated note series to prevent cross-border circulation of colonial currency.

Bradbury Wilkinson's New Malden facility was among the most technically sophisticated intaglio printers of the mid-twentieth century, handling colonial note production for several European powers simultaneously. The P#33 series was a relatively short-lived issue — Angola's currency arrangements were reorganized in subsequent years as postwar economic pressures reshaped how Lisbon managed its overseas monetary infrastructure.