Catalog
500 Escudos
| Issuer | Banco Nacional de S. Tomé e Príncipe |
|---|---|
| Year | 1976 |
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| Currency | Escudo (1914-1974) |
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| Obverse description | Blue on multicolour underprint. A portrait vignette of Dom Afonso V appears at right, flanked by the Portuguese Coat of Arms at upper centre and the bank seal at left. A red overprint on both faces replaces the original Banco Nacional Ultramarino title with the new issuing authority name, Banco Nacional de S. Tomé e Príncipe, and bears the new date of 1 June 1976. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse lettering | BANCO NACIONAL ULTRAMARINO PAGÁVEL EM S. TOMÉ E PRINCIPE 500 BRADBURY, WILKINSON & Co. Lto. GRAVADORES, NEW MALDEN, SURREY, INGLATERRA (Translation: National Overseas Bank Payable in St. Tomé and Príncipe 500 Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co. Ltd. Engravers, New Malden, Surrey, England) |
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| Comments |
São Tomé and Príncipe declared independence from Portugal on 12 July 1975, and this note belongs to the first series issued by the newly established Banco Nacional — a clean break from the Banco Nacional Ultramarino notes that had circulated on the islands under colonial administration. The 1976 series was a priority for the new government, and Bradbury Wilkinson in New Malden was a logical choice: the firm had extensive experience with post-independence African currency commissions throughout the 1960s and 1970s.
The islands' tiny population and limited banking infrastructure meant actual circulation volumes were low, which cuts both ways for survivorship — fewer notes issued, but also less institutional care in storage.