50 Escudos, Bank of Portugal, Portugal, 1938 (Pick 149)

This 50 Escudos note was issued in Portugal by the Bank of Portugal, dated 1938. It belongs to the Escudo (1911-2001) currency system. Issuing authority and period recorded in the catalogue: Second Republic (1926-1974). It measures 142 × 83 mm and is printed on paper. The Standard Catalog of World Paper Money lists the type as Pick 149.

Obverse: Brown-violet and dark blue on multicolor underprint. Portrait of Ramalho Ortigão at right; Coat of Arms at center. Chapa 6. Scripts: Latin and Latin (cursive). Its lettering reads “BANCO DE PORTUGAL / CINCOENTA ESCUDOS / OURO / Lisboa, 3 de Março de 1938”. Translation given in the catalogue: “Bank of Portugal Fifty Escudos Gold Lisbon, March 3, 1938”. Reverse: Blue-green. Allegorical head at left; Leça do Balio monastery at center. Scripts: Latin and Latin (cursive). Its lettering reads “BANCO DE PORTUGAL / Cincoenta Escudos / OURO”. Translation given in the catalogue: “Bank of Portugal Fifty Escudos Gold”.

The note was printed by Bradbury Wilkinson and Company, United Kingdom (1856-1990). Watermark: Woman head. Signatures recorded for the type: Carlos de Barros Soares Branco (CBSB) (Deputy Governor); João da Motta Gomes Júnior (JMGJ) (Administrator); António José Pereira Júnior (AJPJ) (Administrator); Henrique Missa (HM) (Administrator); Álvaro Pedro de Souza (ÁPS) (Deputy Governor); Domingos de Souza e Holstein Beck (DSHB) (Administrator); Manuel António do Casal-Ribeiro de Carvalho (MACRC) (Administrator). Demonetized: 31 December 1963.

Identification note: match the value, issuing bank, printed date and Pick number together; dates and signature combinations distinguish sub-varieties, which are not separated in this entry. Details follow the Numista catalogue entry and the Standard Catalog reference it cites; they have not been checked against a central-bank archive.