Catalog
500 Escudos
| Issuer | Banco Nacional de S. Tomé e Príncipe |
|---|---|
| Year | 1976 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Escudo (1914-1974) |
| 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 | Emergency cheque-style issue printed on plain paper with a light guilloche underprint. The bank name BANCO NACIONAL DE S. TOMÉ E PRÍNCIPE appears in bold letterpress at the top, with the date S. Tomé, 21 de junho de 1976 handwritten in the date field. The serial number appears at left, the denomination Esc. 500$00 at right, and the payable-to-bearer text in Portuguese is set in the body of the note, with a manuscript signature at lower right alongside the bank's abbreviated title P.P. BANCO NACIONAL DE S. TOMÉ E PRÍNCIPE. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | BANCO NACIONAL DE S. TOMÉ E PRÍNCIPE S. Tomé, 21 de junho de 1976 Nº 9020555 Esc.= 500$00= Pague contra este original de cheque (não o tendo feito pelo duplicado) à ordem de AO PORTADOR a quantia de QUINHENTOS ESCUDOS= Pagável em S. TOMÉ E PRINPICE P. P. BANCO NACIONAL DE S. TOMÉ E PRÍNCIPE (Translation: National Bank of São Tomé and Príncipe — Pay against this original cheque (not having done so by the duplicate) to the order of BEARER the sum of FIVE HUNDRED ESCUDOS — Payable in S. Tomé and Príncipe) |
| 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 |
Issued in 1976, the year São Tomé and Príncipe gained independence from Portugal — July 12, 1975 — this 500 Escudos note was among the first issues of the newly established Banco Nacional, printed by Thomas De La Rue in London before domestic monetary infrastructure existed. The escudo was retained as the currency unit initially, replaced only in 1977 by the dobra at par.
De La Rue's involvement was typical of Anglophone and Lusophone African states in this period, providing continuity of print quality during the institutional gap between colonial authority and functioning national banks.