Description and research notes
Issued by the Banco de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay, this 1939 fifty pesos specimen preserves the completed Serie C form of one of the most visually distinctive denominations in Uruguay's interwar monetary program. Printed by Thomas De La Rue and Company Limited, the note carries all-zero serial numbers, the separately assigned designation Specimen No. 9, a diagonal red SPECIMEN overprint, and oval printer control stamps that establish its official reference status.
The denomination formed part of the monetary framework authorized under the law of 2 January 1939, cited prominently across the face. Fifty pesos occupied a substantial working position within the denomination structure, suitable for significant commercial payments, institutional accounting, treasury activity, and larger financial transactions. The note therefore combines the practical function of a major monetary value with the formal authority and technical security expected from the state banking system.
The obverse is organized beneath the commanding title REPUBLICA ORIENTAL DEL URUGUAY, with CINCUENTA PESOS integrated into the lower central portion of the design. The composition is constructed from elaborate geometric security engraving, ornamental borders, repeated denomination devices, and carefully balanced fields of blue and brown printing. The large oval at left accommodates the watermark of Jose Gervasio Artigas, incorporating Uruguay's principal national figure into the physical structure of the paper.
At right appears a monumental Indigenous warrior portrait, engraved with the sculptural precision associated with Thomas De La Rue and Company Limited. The figure wears an elaborate feathered headdress and ornamental beadwork, while a ceremonial staff or weapon rises behind the shoulder. Closely controlled intaglio lines define the face, hair, headdress, clothing, and surrounding textures, creating a portrait of considerable visual strength and depth.
The portrait contributes a broader historical and territorial dimension to the design. Its commanding scale gives the figure equal importance to the state title and denomination, linking the monetary authority of the republic with an idealized representation of the Indigenous heritage of the region. The result is a design that combines national symbolism, historical memory, and the formal visual language of high-security currency.
Serie C is printed clearly on the face beside the all-zero serial fields. The red inscription SPECIMEN No. 9 appears along the lower margin and records the individual number assigned to this reference example within the controlled specimen sequence. The series designation, zero serials, and specimen number together provide the note with its complete administrative identity.
A broad diagonal red SPECIMEN inscription crosses the central field while preserving the visibility of the denomination, portrait, watermark area, and major security elements. Oval red printer control stamps appear at the upper left and lower right. These markings create a balanced two-point control arrangement and identify the piece as an officially prepared specimen under the authority of Thomas De La Rue and Company Limited.
The reverse presents a large ceremonial and historical composition framed by elaborate security ornament and denomination panels. The scene is rendered to the same finished production standard as the obverse, with carefully structured architecture, assembled figures, and layered engraved detail. Its narrative character provides a counterpoint to the monumental portrait on the face and gives the note a wider cultural and historical identity.
The red specimen markings continue across the reverse, forming a complete two-sided reference format. Their placement preserves the central historical scene and surrounding engraving while clearly recording the note's controlled institutional status. The complete treatment across both faces demonstrates that the specimen was prepared as a finished reference example of the full banknote design.
Printed in London by Thomas De La Rue and Company Limited, this Serie C, Specimen No. 9 example combines technical precision, national symbolism, and documented specimen control. Certified Paper Money Guaranty 65 Gem Uncirculated Exceptional Paper Quality, it preserves strong color, sharp engraving, clean paper, and balanced margins. It stands as an important surviving record of Uruguay's 1939 currency program and of the administrative methods used to prepare, number, and preserve official specimen notes.