Description and research notes
Issued by the Departamento de Emision del Banco de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay, this 1939 one peso specimen preserves the completed Serie A form of the lowest denomination in Uruguay's unified interwar banknote series. Printed by Thomas De La Rue and Company Limited, the note carries all-zero serial numbers, the separately printed designation Specimen No. 41, and a black oval printer control stamp identifying it as an official institutional reference example.
The one peso denomination formed the foundation of the 1939 monetary structure. Although modest in face value, it received the same carefully organized security engraving, national symbolism, and technical production standards applied to the larger denominations. Its design was intended for broad everyday circulation, making the specimen an important record of the banknote that would have been encountered most frequently across ordinary commercial life.
The face is headed by the full issuing authority, DEPARTAMENTO DE EMISION DEL BANCO DE LA REPUBLICA ORIENTAL DEL URUGUAY, placed prominently above the monetary promise. The denomination UN PESO and MONEDA NACIONAL appear at right, while the date and legal authority of 2 January 1939 are integrated into the left central field. Serie A is printed within the design, accompanied by paired all-zero serial numbers.
At the center appears a finely engraved portrait of Jose Gervasio Artigas in military dress. Artigas is presented with a direct, composed expression, his uniform and cloak modeled through dense intaglio linework. As Uruguay's principal national figure, his portrait connects the everyday monetary instrument with the country's foundational political history and the republican ideals associated with national independence.
The national arms occupy the upper left within an elaborate wreath and radiant ornamental field. Together with the Artigas portrait, they establish a balanced visual dialogue between the symbols of the republic and the individual most closely associated with its national identity. Architectural columns, scrollwork, repeating denomination text, geometric security fields, and ornamental corner devices complete the compact but highly disciplined composition.
The note carries an all-zero serial number and is separately identified as Specimen No. 41 along the lower margin. A black oval SPECIMEN DE LA RUE AND COMPANY LIMITED CANCELLED stamp appears at the lower right. Its localized placement preserves the portrait, national arms, denomination, serial fields, and most of the surrounding security engraving in an open and highly legible form.
The reverse presents an expansive maritime composition centered on a large sailing vessel crossing open water. Additional ships appear at varying distances, creating depth across the horizon and transforming the vignette into a broader image of navigation, commerce, and Uruguay's relationship with the Atlantic world. Montevideo's historic importance as a port gives the maritime subject particular relevance within the national monetary design.
The ship is rendered with exceptional attention to sails, rigging, hull construction, waves, clouds, and atmospheric distance. Ornamental architectural columns frame the scene at left and right, while the denomination UN PESO anchors the lower center. The composition combines the narrative qualities of a maritime painting with the precision and structural discipline required of security engraving.
The specimen corresponds directly to the archival photographic face and reverse proofs preserved in the related Uruguay 1939 one peso Serie A photographic proof pair. Together, the photographic proofs and this finished specimen document the progression from monochrome archival design record to completed security-printed reference note. The relationship preserves the Artigas portrait, national arms, all-zero Serie A layout, denomination structure, ornamental face design, and sailing-ship reverse across two distinct stages of the banknote's documented production history.
Printed by Thomas De La Rue and Company Limited, the note demonstrates how a widely circulating denomination could combine practical clarity with sophisticated national iconography. The compact design unites portraiture, heraldry, legal authority, maritime commerce, architectural ornament, and fine-line security engraving within a coherent visual statement of Uruguayan monetary identity.
Certified Paper Money Guaranty 66 Gem Uncirculated Exceptional Paper Quality, this Serie A, Specimen No. 41 example preserves exceptional paper quality, strong color, sharp engraving, and a remarkably clean presentation of the finished design. At the time of cataloging, the Paper Money Guaranty population records one example in this grade and none graded higher.