Description and research notes
This specimen note represents the fifty pesos denomination of the Banco de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay issued under the monetary law of 2 January 1939 and printed by Thomas De La Rue and Company in London. The note is clearly identified on its face as Serie A, reflecting the actual printed series rather than generalized range designations sometimes used on grading labels.
Within the structure of the 1939 emission, the fifty pesos denomination occupied an important intermediate tier of Uruguay’s monetary hierarchy. It bridged everyday commercial circulation and higher-level accounting functions, serving both retail and institutional purposes. Specimen examples of this value document the administrative and control procedures governing official reference material during the interwar period.
This example carries a red oval printer control stamp reading “SPECIMEN – DE LA RUE & CO LTD – CANCELLED” applied to the lower central field of the obverse. Unlike some parallel specimen formats of the same emission, this note does not bear a large diagonal SPECIMEN overprint across the face and shows no cancellation markings on the reverse. The invalidation protocol relies solely on the oval ink cancellation, preserving the engraved design in full clarity while formally rendering the note non-monetary.
The serial format is all-zero, consistent with specimen preparation, and the lower margin reads “SPECIMEN No. 15,” indicating its position within the controlled specimen numbering for this denomination and series. No mechanical perforations or punch cancellations are present.
The obverse design integrates the national arms within a structured guilloche security framework, with the denomination CINCUENTA PESOS prominently placed at center. At right appears a classical allegorical female figure symbolizing constitutional authority and national sovereignty, rendered in finely layered intaglio. The reverse presents a detailed historical and civic scene in blue engraving, depicting a public assembly within an architectural setting, balanced by the reserved watermark oval at right.
Printed by Thomas De La Rue and Company, this red-oval-only Serie A specimen represents one of several parallel control formats used for the 1939 Uruguay issue. Its restrained cancellation protocol distinguishes it from diagonal-overprint and perforated examples, documenting the nuanced internal handling methods employed for official specimen material.