I speak to a few collectors from here. One of the collectors we tend to have long detailed emails. Recently I was asked why I collect what I collect and the answer that comes out is usually:
"Because I like the way it looks"And the fellow collector pushed back stating that not's really the way I collect and I was pushing back stating I do collect because of the way I like. But the fellow collector is actually correct. I don't actually collect just because I like the way a note/coin looks but I collect as its part of a broader goal.
My broader goal for my collection in World currency only centers around Portugal and its colonies. And while I may pick up a note because of the way it looks, its not the end all as I don't even consider other countries. For example I love the Ina and the Shark series or the Zimbabwe 100 trillion dollar note, but again its not part of my goals, so I don't look for them.
What this post is trying to say is that while we all like pretty things what is our eventual goal, is it to collect pretty things because they are pretty or because they are steps on a long term goal?
Now onto the note. My goal for currency of Portugal is to have a type set. If I can get one of each note type (I doubt it as a few are more costly than USA large notes), I will but my goal is to collect a pleasing note that fills in one of the 3 times periods of Portugal currency. This includes
1) Currency from Imperial Treasury
2) Fractional Notes from the Casa Da Moeda
3) Escudo and Reis from the Banco do Portugal
If I can find well priced examples from Private Banks, Azores or Madeira I would also consider those but they are rare.
I also got beat up on that I'm not a serious collector, he stated I am one of the more serious collectors as I know the history of what I collect. I guess this pretending to buy items that are pretty façade may be up
Now onto tonight's note, It is April 11, 1925 we are now at the start of the collapse of the economy of Portugal due to all the counterfeit P-130 500 escudos. The government is on the verge of collapse and the populace still doesn't have any coins as all PM is in low supply. The government is still issuing currency. All of these issues resulted in a coup D'etat on May 28, 1926. The Military government begged an Economist from the University of Coimbra to come in and take charge of the economy. Within 1 year Salazar took over the finances of Portugal and stabilized the budget and the economy. Eventually becoming Prime Minister and a dictator from 1933 to 1964.
All of this leads us to today's note which is Pick 101 and was the last of the Fractional notes issues by Portugal
The reverse of the note includes the Arco Da Rua Augusta (Arch of August Street). Which I have been to.
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1989 -1991
Posted 08/14/2021 10:54 pm
Dimensions are roughly 6.25" x 3.5" (Krause says 162x89 mm).
Lovely looking design on that fractional 'hfjacinto.' Also enjoyed reading the PMG article "Stranger than Fiction: The Portuguese Banknote Crisis of 1925" I've seen the story before somewhere (just cannot remember where) & I always imagine how it would make a great screenplay. Thanks for sharing.
