The Laurence Pope Collection of Portuguese Colonial Banknotes

Foreword

Part One

The collection is to be sold in several parts over the next couple of years and Part one is intended as a taster for the whole. I have set all the reserves as low as possible, since I believe this encourages maximum participation, with the distinct possibility of getting a bargain! It is, however, a great wrench for me to part with a family of notes I have enjoyed and worked with for so long and I sincerely hope existing collectors, and hopefully new ones, will come to appreciate these stunningly beautiful notes as much as I have. Happy bidding and good luck!

Part Two

Part Two of my collection, once again, includes a selection of notes, proofs and archival photographs from all five of the Portuguese African colonies included in the recently published BNU Catalogue. In addition there are Portuguese Asian colonial notes from Goa and Timor. Highlights from Portuguese India include a very rare 10 Rupia archival specimen from the 1906 series, a unique trio of pieces used in the preparation of the unissued 100 Rupia elephant note of 1938 (TBB B323), one of only four known archival specimens of the 1 Rupia of 1917, unique archival photographs of the 100 Rupia note of 1945 and several rare printer’s archival specimens from the same series.

Also featured are unique photos of alternative designs for the Angola 500 escudo note of 1956 and very rare, underrated die proofs for Cape Verde and Mozambique. The Mozambique section includes one of only six known archival specimens of the 10 Libras Esterlinas of 1909, a note which is unobtainable in issued form, and examples of the small and large signatures used on the 5 Mil Reis Vasco da Gama notes of 1909, both of which are the plate notes illustrated on page 216 of the BNU Catalogue. In fact there are no less than 24 plate notes on offer and I always think these make a talking point, adding something special to any collection. Finally I would mention several very rare colour trials: these have fascinated me ever since I started collecting and they always spice up a collection.

Once again, many of the these notes have been graded by PMG and I am grateful to them for adding the catalogue’s numerous sub-references, which appear in green print in the lower right corners of the holder strips. The collection includes numerous complete runs of printer’s archival specimens, and your attention is drawn to the set of the Portuguese Guinea 50 escudos of 1947. As only two copies of these were ever printed, it is extremely unlikely the complete set will ever be offered again. I have made the reserves as low as possible and I wish you well in the fun of the chase. Happy bidding and good luck!

Part Three

Part Three of my collection, once again, includes a selection of notes, proofs and archival photographs from all five of the Portuguese African colonies included in the recently published BNU Catalogue. In addition there are Portuguese Asian colonial notes from Goa and Timor. Highlights from Portuguese India include two notes from the 1906 series: the first a rare 5 Rupia archival specimen annotated by the printer with a very early 1908 date and an even rarer 20 Rupia archival specimen with Type III ship seal, of which only six copies were ever produced. In addition there is one of only eight known archival specimens of the 8 Tangas of 1917 and printer’s archival specimens for every denomination of the 1945 Series from the 5 to the 500 Rupias.

The Angola section features unique sepia photos of the 1909 Vasco da Gama series and an unlisted 1944 date for the 100 Angolares depicting Sousa Coutinho. I have a particular interest in the 1945 series of Cape Verde, featuring Bartolomeu Dias, and will never forget the day some years ago when I bought the final example (the 50$00 BNU CV58g), thus completing the 67 archival specimens for this issue. All 14 varieties of the 20$00 note were included in Part I of my sale, with all seven varieties of the 10$00 denomination and all 14 varieties of the 100$00 denomination featuring in this one.

Once again complete serial number and signature runs are included for 11 more notes and it is highly unlikely these complete runs of archival specimens will ever reappear on the market, since only two of each variety were produced. The Mozambique section includes one of only three known copies of the 1000 Reis dated 1908 and this example is the finest extant. There are also excessively rare obverse and reverse colour trials for the 20 Mil Reis 1908 and unique sepia archival photographs showing a different design for the 1000 Reis note in the same series.

There are no less than 36 notes, which are illustrated in the BNU Catalogue and PMG have recorded these as Plate Notes on the reverses of their holders. Where appropriate, PMG have also added the catalogue’s numerous sub-references, which appear in green print in the lower right corners of their holder strips. I have made the reserves as low as possible and I wish you well in the fun of the chase. Happy bidding and good luck!

Part Four

Part Four of my collection, once again, includes a selection of notes, proofs and archival photographs from all !ve of the Portuguese
African colonies included in the recently published BNU Catalogue. In addition there are Portuguese Asian colonial notes from Goa and Timor. Highlights from Portuguese India include three items from the 1906 series, namely a 5 Rupia printer’s archival specimen with Type III ship seal, a unique 10 Rupia black and white archival photograph and a 10 Rupia printer’s archival specimen with Type I ship seal. In addition there is a 2 Rupia colour trial from the 1917 series and printer’s archival specimens for every denomination of the 1945 Series from the 5 to the 500 Rupias.

The Angola section starts with a unique set of archival photographs for a never issued 1907 series. These feature a man and a woman with a trident astride a hippocamp, somewhat similar to designs for the 1906 series of Portuguese India and will therefore be of interest also to collectors of that colony. There is also a highly desirable 1000 Angolares specimen of 1944, which is one of the most spectacular of all De La Rue’s designs. The Cape Verde section includes unique archival photos of the 1921 Chamiço series, two of which feature counterfoils never included with the issued notes.

The Mozambique section kicks o with a unique and highly unusual Bradbury Wilkinson pencil and ink composite essay on blue paper for the 1908 1000 Reis note and a high grade archival specimen for the same note, one of only three copies known. There is also a 10 mil reis 1908 specimen, of which only four copies are known and a most unusual colour trial in aqua for the same denomination.

Portuguese Guinea includes a 50 Mil Reis printer’s archival specimen of 1909, one of the rarest varieties of this denomination and for years not even listed in Pick. Also included are all 14 archival specimen print runs of the 100$00 of 1947, all 6 print runs of the 500$00 of 1958 and all 6 print runs of the 100$00 of 1964. This is likely to be the only opportunity to complete these sets.

Saint Thomas & Prince includes a unique archival photograph of the 10 Centavos of 1914 and unique, most unusual, archival photographs of pen and pencil sketches of the 1000$00 of 1964.

There are no less than 46 notes which are illustrated in the BNU Catalogue and PMG have recorded these as Plate Notes on the reverses of their holders. Where appropriate, PMG have also added the catalogue’s numerous sub-references, which appear in green print in the lower right corners of their holder strips. I have made the reserves as low as possible and I wish you well in the fun of the chase. Happy bidding and good luck!

Part Five

Part Five of my collection, unlike the previous four parts, includes a selection of notes, proofs and archival photographs from all five of the Portuguese African colonies and all three of the Portuguese Asian colonies, together with a few post-independence notes. Highlights from Angola include a specimen 500 Angolares of 1927, together with completely hand-painted artwork for the 50 Angolares of 1944. The Cape Verde section contains complete print runs of archival specimens for the 100$00 and 500$00 of 1945, the latter being virtually unobtainable as an issued note. And for Portuguese India there are archival specimens for the 5, 10, 20 and 50 Rupias of 1945.

For Macau, there is a unique specimen proof set of the 2, 5, 10 and 20 Avos of 1952, all signed with the manuscript signature of Teofilio Duarte, complete with the original, annotated Bradbury Wilkinson envelope. Also included in this section is a 100 Patacas specimen proof with the unrecorded, rejected date of 26 February 1981, of which only two copies are known, and a unique series of annotated proofs for the 10 Patacas of 1984.

The extensive Mozambique offering features excessively rare archival specimens from the 1908 series. Only 7 copies each of the 2.5 Mil Reis and 5 Mil Reis are known and only 4 copies of the 10 Mil Reis, these all being the better grades. The 10 Mil Reis is the BNU Plate Note and also appears on the back cover as part of PMG’s advert. Also included are complete print runs of archival specimens for the 500$00 1945 and the 100$00 1961 overprint.

The Portuguese Guinea section kicks off with one of the most spectacular sets of sepia archival photos in the whole of the Bradbury Wilkinson archive. There are 6 denominations featuring animals native to the colony in 1908, some of which are no longer indigenous to this part of Africa. There are also complete print runs of archival specimens for the 10$00 of 1945 and the 100$00 of 1958.
There are numerous notes, which are illustrated in the BNU Catalogue and PMG have recorded these as Plate Notes on the reverses of their holders. Where appropriate, PMG have also added the catalogue’s numerous sub-references, which appear in green print in the lower right corners of their holder strips. I have made the reserves as low as possible and I wish you well in the fun of the chase. Happy bidding and good luck!

Part Six

Part Six of my collection, once again includes a selection of notes, proofs and archival photographs from all five of the Portuguese African colonies and all three of the Portuguese Asian colonies, together with a few post-independence notes. Highlights from Angola include a 50 Mil Reis specimen of 1909 and a colour trial of the 500 Angolares of 1927, together with unique archival photographs of unadopted designs submitted by Bradbury Wilkinson. The Cape Verde section contains a unique annotated proof of the 100$00 note of 1921, with Decreto, which was never issued and a remarkable complete print run of the 14 archival specimens for the 50$00 of 1945. The specimen with serial run 120,001 to 140,000 was the note I acquired to complete all of the 64 archival specimens for the 1945 series and I will never forget the day I bought it at considerable cost. The dealer who sold it to me said he would have doubled the price if he had known!

For Macau, there is a rare printer’s archival specimen for the 20 Patacas of 1948 and Portuguese India features items from the 1945 and 1959 series including a 10 Rupia colour trial. The extensive Mozambique offering features excessively rare archival specimens from the 1908 series. Only 2 copies of the 20 Mil Reis are known, this is far the finest, and the two known are not the same, having minor differences, neither being listed in Pick. The 50 Mil Reis 1908 is almost as rare and this example is the only one that was found in the De La Rue archive. Also included are complete print runs of archival specimens for the 5$00 of 1941 and the 100$00 of 1943, and a remarkable set of archival photographs of a never issued 1977 post-independence series. The Portuguese Guinea section includes the last remaining copy of the 5 Mil Reis of 1909 in the collection and a complete set of the print runs for the 50$00 1964.

There are numerous notes, which are illustrated in the BNU Catalogue and PMG have recorded these as Plate Notes on the reverses of their holders. Where appropriate, PMG have also added the catalogue’s numerous sub-references, which appear in green print in the lower right corners of their holder strips. I have made the reserves as low as possible and I wish you well in the fun of the chase. Happy bidding and good luck!


Laurence Pope
IBNS 7037