Description and research notes
Issued under the authority of the Banco Central del Uruguay, this fifty pesos specimen preserves the established 1939 design in the form authorized for use following the creation of Uruguay's new central banking institution in 1967. Printed by Thomas De La Rue and Company Limited, the note carries the Serie D designation, all-zero serial numbers, the separately printed designation Specimen No. 2, a diagonal red SPECIMEN overprint, and oval printer control stamps applied across the completed design.
The note occupies an important position in the institutional history of Uruguayan paper money. Its visual design originated with the issue authorized under the law of 2 January 1939, when note issuance remained associated with the Departamento de Emision of the Banco de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay. Following the establishment of the Banco Central del Uruguay in 1967, the denomination continued through a new authorization while retaining the familiar artistic and technical structure developed for the earlier series.
This continuity allowed a well-established security design to remain in use while the legal and administrative authority behind the currency changed. The specimen therefore records more than a later printing of an older type. It documents the transfer of monetary responsibility from the former issuing framework to the Banco Central del Uruguay and the practical reuse of proven Thomas De La Rue plate work during that institutional transition.
The obverse is dominated by the inscription REPUBLICA ORIENTAL DEL URUGUAY and the central denomination CINCUENTA PESOS. The composition is built from elaborate geometric security engraving, repeated denomination devices, ornamental borders, and contrasting blue and brown printing. The large open 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 the denomination's monumental Indigenous warrior portrait, engraved with the sculptural precision associated with Thomas De La Rue and Company Limited. The figure wears an elaborate 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 details, creating one of the most visually forceful portraits in Uruguay's twentieth-century banknote series.
The Indigenous figure gives the design a historical and territorial dimension that extends beyond the formal language of monetary authority. Its commanding scale balances the national title, denomination, and watermark field, joining cultural memory with the technical structure of a high-security banknote. The continued use of this portrait under the later central bank authorization demonstrates the enduring symbolic value assigned to the original 1939 composition.
Serie D appears clearly on the face beside the all-zero serial fields. At the lower margin, the red inscription SPECIMEN No. 2 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 principal design field while preserving the visibility of the central denomination, portrait, watermark area, and major engraved elements. Oval red Thomas De La Rue printer control stamps appear at the upper left and lower right. Their balanced placement identifies the note as an officially prepared specimen and records the printer's control over the completed reference impression.
The reverse retains the large ceremonial and historical assembly scene inherited from the original 1939 fifty pesos design. Numerous figures gather within a monumental architectural setting, creating a detailed image of public ceremony, collective identity, and national history. The narrative density of the scene contrasts with the monumental portrait on the obverse while maintaining the same high standard of intaglio engraving and security ornament.
Red specimen markings continue across the reverse, forming a complete two-sided control format. Their application confirms that the entire finished note, rather than a single-face proof or partial production trial, was prepared as institutional reference material. The preserved relationship between the Indigenous portrait, Artigas watermark, historical reverse, and later central bank authorization makes the note an especially clear record of continuity across two phases of Uruguay's monetary administration.
Certified Paper Money Guaranty 66 Gem Uncirculated Exceptional Paper Quality, this Serie D, Specimen No. 2 example preserves exceptional paper quality, strong color separation, sharp engraving, and a clean presentation of the complete design. It stands as an important documentary bridge between the Banco de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay issuing tradition and the Banco Central del Uruguay, demonstrating how an established 1939 banknote design continued into the central bank era under renewed legal authority.