{"product_id":"guinea-bissau-p-10-50-pesos-1990-u","title":"Guinea-Bissau (ex-Portugal) P-10 50 Pesos 1990 UNC Medicine","description":"\u003cp\u003eGuinea-Bissau P-10 50 Pesos 1990, Uncirculated.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eVariety:\u003c\/strong\u003e P-10 — Pedro A. Godinho Gomes (PAGG), Minister Governor; José Lima Barber (JLB), Vice Governor\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eColor:\u003c\/strong\u003e Pale red on multicolor underprint\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFront:\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePortrait of Pansau Na Isna at right\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eArtifact at left\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCoat of arms at lower left\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eInscriptions: Central Bank of Guinea-Bissau; March 1st., 1990; Fifty Pesos; Pansau Na Isna\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBack:\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLocal scene representing the preparation of traditional medicine: grinding of ingredients, cooking on the fire, consecration to the gods, giving the drink to the sick\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eInscriptions: Central Bank of Guinea-Bissau; The law punishes the counterfeiter; Fifty Pesos\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWatermark:\u003c\/strong\u003e Large repeating \"BCG\"\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSignatures:\u003c\/strong\u003e Pedro A. Godinho Gomes (PAGG), Minister Governor; José Lima Barber (JLB), Vice Governor\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSerial Number Prefix:\u003c\/strong\u003e AA–AB (standard); AZ (replacement note)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIssuing Bank:\u003c\/strong\u003e Central Bank of Guinea-Bissau (Banco Central da Guiné-Bissau)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCurrency:\u003c\/strong\u003e Guinea-Bissau Peso (GWP), 1975–1997\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDenomination:\u003c\/strong\u003e 50 Pesos\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eComposition:\u003c\/strong\u003e Paper\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSize:\u003c\/strong\u003e 117 × 60 mm\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eShape:\u003c\/strong\u003e Rectangular\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDemonetized:\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes (31 July 1997)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePrinter:\u003c\/strong\u003e De La Rue (Thomas De La Rue \u0026amp; Co.; TDLR), London, United Kingdom\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCountry:\u003c\/strong\u003e Guinea-Bissau — Portuguese Guinea (colonial era–1974); Republic of Guinea-Bissau (1974–present)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003ePortuguese: Not Just Portugal and Brazil — It’s for Africa!\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen most people think of Portuguese-speaking countries, Brazil comes to mind first. But the Portuguese Empire left a far wider linguistic footprint — one that stretches across five African nations collectively known as the PALOP (\u003cem\u003ePaíses Africanos de Língua Oficial Portuguesa\u003c\/em\u003e): \u003cstrong\u003eGuinea-Bissau (Portuguese Guinea), Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde, and São Tomé and Príncipe\u003c\/strong\u003e. These countries form \u003cstrong\u003eLusophone\u003c\/strong\u003e (Portuguese-speaking) Africa that is often overlooked but historically profound. The word comes from the \u003cstrong\u003eLatin name for Portugal: Lusitania\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Portuguese Empire was one of the longest-lived colonial empires in history, spanning roughly five centuries. It began in earnest in the early 15th century, when Portuguese navigators — driven by the ambitions of Prince Henry the Navigator — began pushing down the West African coast in the 1420s and 1430s, establishing trading posts and eventually colonies. By the late 1400s, Portugal had rounded the Cape of Good Hope, reached India, and stumbled upon Brazil. At its height, the empire encircled the globe.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn Africa, Portugal held these five territories for centuries — extracting resources, enslaved people, and agricultural wealth while suppressing local cultures and governance. The empire’s African chapter ended not with a negotiated handover but with \u003cstrong\u003earmed liberation struggles.\u003c\/strong\u003e The PAIGC in Guinea-Bissau, \u003cstrong\u003eMPLA\u003c\/strong\u003e and FNLA in Angola, and \u003cstrong\u003eFRELIMO\u003c\/strong\u003e in Mozambique fought protracted guerrilla wars through the 1960s and early 1970s. The final blow came from within Portugal itself: the Carnation Revolution of April 25, \u003cstrong\u003e1974\u003c\/strong\u003e — a \u003cstrong\u003emilitary coup in Lisbon \u003c\/strong\u003ethat overthrew the Estado Novo dictatorship — and by the next year, every Portuguese colony in Africa was independent.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003ePansau Na Isna\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eThe Lion of the Balanta\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePansau Na Isna \u003c\/strong\u003e(c. 1938–1969\/1970) was an indigenous leader of the Balanta ethnic group and one of the most celebrated military figures of Guinea-Bissau’s \u003cstrong\u003eindependence struggle.\u003c\/strong\u003e A close \u003cstrong\u003ecollaborator of Amílcar Cabral \u003c\/strong\u003e— founder of the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC) — Pansau Na Isna led rebel forces in the pivotal Battle of Komi in 1964, widely regarded as the first major military victory of the independence campaign against Portuguese colonial rule.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHe died in the bombing of Nhacra, becoming a \u003cstrong\u003emartyr\u003c\/strong\u003e of the liberation movement. His portrait on this note honors his sacrifice and the broader struggle of the Guinean people for self-determination — a struggle that culminated in independence on September 24, 1973.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eTraditional Medicine Scene\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eHealing, Ritual, and Community\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe reverse depicts a richly detailed local scene of traditional medicine preparation — a sequence moving from the grinding of plant ingredients, to cooking over fire, to consecration before the gods, and finally the administration of the remedy to the sick. This vignette is a deliberate celebration of indigenous Guinean culture and knowledge systems, affirming their value in the post-colonial national identity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSuch imagery was common in the early banknote series of newly independent African nations, which sought to distinguish their currency from colonial-era designs by centering local traditions, peoples, and landscapes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eA Final Reflection: Currency of a New Nation\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIssued in 1990 as part of the 1990–1993 series, this 50 Pesos note belongs to the final chapter of Guinea-Bissau’s Peso currency — introduced in 1975 upon independence to replace the Portuguese escudo, and replaced in turn by the \u003cstrong\u003eWest African CFA franc\u003c\/strong\u003e in 1997 when the country joined the \u003cstrong\u003eWest African Economic and Monetary Union\u003c\/strong\u003e. \u003cstrong\u003eDemonetized\u003c\/strong\u003e on 31 July 1997, it is now a collectible artifact of a brief but historically significant monetary era spanning just \u003cstrong\u003e22 years\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor the collector, this note offers a window into post-independence Guinea-Bissau — its \u003cstrong\u003eheroes\u003c\/strong\u003e, its \u003cstrong\u003ehealing\u003c\/strong\u003e traditions, and its short-lived national currency — all compressed into a small rectangle of pale red paper.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"World Money Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51799013916983,"sku":"GW10U","price":0.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0969\/7165\/3431\/files\/10o_ac83d2aa-9dfb-414a-9f65-d08d27d3273b.jpg?v=1774358639","url":"https:\/\/worldmoneystore.com\/products\/guinea-bissau-p-10-50-pesos-1990-u","provider":"World Money Store","version":"1.0","type":"link"}