Description and research notes
This Serie A one hundred pesos specimen records the perforated-cancellation form of the Banco de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay issue authorized under the law of 2 January 1939. The note carries the completed design, all-zero serial numbering, and a diagonal CANCELLED inscription formed directly through the paper, creating a permanent mechanical record of its institutional status.
Mechanical perforation provided a durable method of controlling reference currency while preserving the printed surface. Each opening forming the word CANCELLED passes through the sheet itself, leaving the surrounding engraving, typography, and color structure available for technical study. The method is integrated into the physical substance of the note and becomes part of its production history rather than an additional layer of printed ink.
The obverse combines republican symbolism with the formal visual language of a high-value monetary instrument. The national arms occupy the central rosette, with CIEN PESOS and MONEDA NACIONAL incorporated into an elaborate guilloche structure. The title of the Republica Oriental del Uruguay spans the upper register and establishes the legal authority behind the denomination.
At right appears the allegorical guardian of the Constitution, seated within a composition of classical, architectural, and industrial elements. The figure represents legal continuity and civic order, while the surrounding imagery extends the theme toward state development and economic organization. Fine intaglio modeling gives the figure sculptural presence within the intricate security design.
The Serie A designation and prefix A all-zero serial format reproduce the organizational structure of an issued note while identifying a controlled reference impression. The large watermark area forms an open visual field within the otherwise densely engraved composition, allowing the paper security feature to remain clearly visible as part of the finished design.
The reverse is devoted to a large civic gathering rendered with exceptional narrative density. Crowds assemble before a monumental building, flags rise above the scene, and the architectural setting provides a stage for public history and republican ceremony. The composition gives the denomination a strong national identity grounded in collective memory rather than portraiture alone.
The perforated CANCELLED inscription traverses the completed sheet and visually connects the two faces through a single physical control process. Its placement preserves the note as a comprehensive reference object containing the full obverse symbolism, reverse narrative, serial arrangement, watermark field, and engraved security structure.
Printed by Thomas De La Rue and Company Limited, this specimen documents a specialized institutional handling method within the 1939 one hundred pesos issue. It survives as both a finished example of Uruguay's monetary design and a material record of the mechanical procedures used to secure and preserve high-value reference notes.