Catalog
500 Escudos
| Issuer | Banco Nacional Ultramarino |
|---|---|
| Year | 1956 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 500 Escudos |
| 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 | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | BANCO NACIONAL ULTRAMARINO DECRETO LEI No. 39.221 S. TOME E PRINCIPE PROVINCIA PORTUGUESA QUINHENTOS ESCUDOS LISBOA 18 DE ABRIL DE 1956 O ADMINISTRADOR O GOVERNADOR D. AFONSO V |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Watermark |
| Protection description | Log in to see details |
| Variants | Log in to see details |
| Comments |
Banco Nacional Ultramarino occupied an unusual position in Portuguese colonial finance — it functioned simultaneously as a commercial bank and as the currency-issuing authority across multiple overseas territories, a dual role that made its notes semi-official instruments of state policy rather than purely commercial paper. This 500 Escudos was issued for one of those territories, with Bradbury Wilkinson handling the engraving and printing at their New Malden works, as they did for a significant portion of BNU's colonial output through the mid-twentieth century.
Bradbury Wilkinson's intaglio work on Portuguese colonial issues of this period is consistently fine, though the security provision here relies solely on watermark protection — no security thread, no fluorescent ink.