Catalog
50 Patacas
| Issuer | Banco da China |
|---|---|
| Year | 1999 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 50 Patacas |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse is dominated on the left by an intaglio vignette of the Banco da China tower in Macau, a tall modernist skyscraper rendered in fine line engraving against a lightly tinted background. At centre, a large numeral '50' overlies an ornate guilloche rosette enclosing a lotus flower motif in intaglio. A horizontal band at the top bears the bank name in Chinese and Portuguese, and the Chinese denomination inscription '澳門幣伍拾圓' appears at the lower centre. |
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| Protection type | Watermark, Security thread |
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| Comments |
Banco da China's entry into Macau's banknote market came relatively late — the bank only gained the right to issue notes in the territory in 1995, breaking the centuries-old monopoly held by Banco Nacional Ultramarino. This 50 Patacas belongs to BdC's inaugural series and was printed at the Beijing Banknote Printing House, a detail that was politically legible to anyone paying attention: the handover to China was still months away when design work began.
The 1999 date places this note squarely in the transition year itself, when Macau passed from Portuguese to Chinese administration on 20 December.