{"product_id":"portugal-2-pcs-set-stunning-last-2-100-escudos-pre-euro-p178-p179-xf-extra-fine","title":"Portugal 2 Pcs Set—Stunning!—Last 2 100 Escudos b4 Euro—P178 P179—XF Extra Fine","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe two final designs of Portugal's iconic 100 Escudos series before Portugal moved to the Euro — together in one set. Both notes feature giants of Portuguese literature, both are beautifully engraved, and both were demonetized as the Escudo gave way to the Euro. This is the complete literary farewell of a currency that lasted 90 years.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSet includes one of each note, any variety of either:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eP-178\u003c\/strong\u003e (8th print, 1980–85) — \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Bocage_(poet)\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eManuel Maria Barbosa du Bocage\u003c\/a\u003e, the obscene poet who survived the Inquisition\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eP-179\u003c\/strong\u003e (9th print, 1986–88) — \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fernando_Pessoa\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eFernando Pessoa\u003c\/a\u003e, the shape-shifting genius who invented four poets inside himself\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eP-178 — Bocage (8th Print, 1980–1985)\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFront color:\u003c\/strong\u003e Dark blue on multicolor underprint\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFront:\u003c\/strong\u003e Portrait of \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Bocage_(poet)\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eManuel Maria Barbosa du Bocage\u003c\/a\u003e (1765–1805); Portuguese Coat of Arms at upper left; Chapa 8\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBack color:\u003c\/strong\u003e Dark blue on multicolor underprint\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBack:\u003c\/strong\u003e Engraving of \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Rossio_Square\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eRossio Square\u003c\/a\u003e at the beginning of the 19th century\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eVarieties:\u003c\/strong\u003e You may receive any variety (P-178a through P-178e, dated 1980–1985)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCatalog numbers:\u003c\/strong\u003e P-178; Silva# 107–111; Numista N#202847\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWatermark:\u003c\/strong\u003e Manuel M. B. du Bocage\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSize:\u003c\/strong\u003e 150 × 73 mm\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePrinter:\u003c\/strong\u003e Royal Joh. Enschedé, Haarlem, Netherlands\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Demonetization_(currency)\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eDemonetized\u003c\/a\u003e:\u003c\/strong\u003e 31 May 1990\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eP-179 — Fernando Pessoa (9th Print, 1986–1988)\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFront color:\u003c\/strong\u003e Dark blue on multicolor tan and cyan underprint\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFront:\u003c\/strong\u003e Drawing of \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fernando_Pessoa\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eFernando Pessoa\u003c\/a\u003e (1888–1935); Portuguese Coat of Arms at upper left; Ch. 9\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBack color:\u003c\/strong\u003e Dark blue and red on multicolor tan and cyan underprint\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBack:\u003c\/strong\u003e A red rose and a tangle of ribbons bearing the names of Pessoa's \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fernando_Pessoa#Heteronyms\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eheteronyms\u003c\/a\u003e: Alberto Caeiro, Álvaro de Campos, Ricardo Reis, Bernardo Soares, Chevalier de Pas\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eVarieties:\u003c\/strong\u003e You may receive any variety (P-179a through P-179f, dated 1986–1988)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCatalog numbers:\u003c\/strong\u003e P-179; Silva# 112–117; Numista N#202789\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWatermark:\u003c\/strong\u003e Fernando António Nogueira Pessoa\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSize:\u003c\/strong\u003e 149 × 75 mm\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePrinter:\u003c\/strong\u003e De La Rue (TDLR), London, United Kingdom\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Demonetization_(currency)\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eDemonetized\u003c\/a\u003e:\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes (with the Escudo, 2002)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eCommon Details\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eComposition:\u003c\/strong\u003e Paper\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCondition:\u003c\/strong\u003e XF (Extra Fine)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIssuing entity:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Banco_de_Portugal\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eBank of Portugal (Banco de Portugal)\u003c\/a\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCurrency:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Portuguese_escudo\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ePortuguese Escudo\u003c\/a\u003e (1911–2001)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eTwo Poets, One Currency's Last Chapter\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe 8th and 9th prints of the 100 Escudos are the only two notes in the series to feature literary figures — and what figures they are. \u003cstrong\u003eBocage\u003c\/strong\u003e (\u003cstrong\u003e1765–1805\u003c\/strong\u003e) was the enfant terrible of Portuguese letters: a sonneteer of genius who was imprisoned by the \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Inquisition\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eInquisition\u003c\/a\u003e for his irreverent, often obscene verse and his Freemason sympathies. \u003cstrong\u003ePessoa\u003c\/strong\u003e (\u003cstrong\u003e1888–1935\u003c\/strong\u003e) was the opposite in temperament — reclusive, cerebral, and so prolific in his invented identities that he left behind a trunk of \u003cstrong\u003e25,000 manuscript pages\u003c\/strong\u003e at his death. Together they bookend the Escudo's final decade: a defrocked provocateur and a quiet revolutionary, united on paper currency just before \u003cstrong\u003ePortugal joined the EU\u003c\/strong\u003e and the old money began its countdown to extinction.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eThe Defrocked Poet Who Shocked a Nation\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Bocage_(poet)\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eBocage\u003c\/a\u003e was born in \u003cstrong\u003eSetúbal in 1765\u003c\/strong\u003e and became the most celebrated — and most notorious — lyric poet of 18th-century Portugal. A master of the \u003cstrong\u003esonnet\u003c\/strong\u003e, he combined classical elegance with raw, often obscene wit that landed him in serious trouble with the \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Inquisition\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eInquisition\u003c\/a\u003e. He was imprisoned in \u003cstrong\u003e1797\u003c\/strong\u003e for his irreverent verses and his association with \u003cstrong\u003eFreemasonry\u003c\/strong\u003e and revolutionary ideas flowing in from France. After recanting, he was released — a \u003cstrong\u003ebroken but still brilliant\u003c\/strong\u003e figure who died in \u003cstrong\u003e1805\u003c\/strong\u003e at just 40 years old. His erotic and satirical poems circulated in manuscript for generations after his death, making him a kind of underground literary legend. Today he is remembered as the Portuguese \u003cstrong\u003eRimbaud\u003c\/strong\u003e — a genius who burned too bright and too fast.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eRossio: The Living Room of Lisbon\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRossio Square\u003c\/strong\u003e (officially Praça Dom Pedro IV) has been the beating heart of \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Lisbon\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eLisbon\u003c\/a\u003e for over 700 years. The engraving on the reverse captures it at the turn of the 19th century — before the \u003cstrong\u003eneoclassical National Theatre\u003c\/strong\u003e (built 1842) dominated its northern end, and before the iconic \u003cstrong\u003ewave-pattern cobblestones\u003c\/strong\u003e were laid. In Bocage's own lifetime, this was the square where news spread, poets argued, and the city's pulse was felt. The pairing of poet and square on this note is no accident — both are quintessentially, irreducibly \u003cstrong\u003eLisboeta\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eThe Man Who Was Many Men\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fernando_Pessoa\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eFernando Pessoa\u003c\/a\u003e was born in \u003cstrong\u003eLisbon in 1888\u003c\/strong\u003e and spent most of his life in near-obscurity, working as a commercial translator by day and writing some of the most radical poetry of the 20th century by night. What made him singular — and what makes this note singular — is his invention of \u003cstrong\u003eheteronyms\u003c\/strong\u003e: not pen names, but fully realized alternative identities, each with their own biography, philosophy, and poetic style. \u003cstrong\u003eAlberto Caeiro\u003c\/strong\u003e was a pastoral naif who denied metaphysics. \u003cstrong\u003eRicardo Reis\u003c\/strong\u003e was a classicist and monarchist. \u003cstrong\u003eÁlvaro de Campos\u003c\/strong\u003e was a \u003cstrong\u003eWhitmanesque\u003c\/strong\u003e modernist engineer who wrote in ecstatic free verse. \u003cstrong\u003eBernardo Soares\u003c\/strong\u003e kept a melancholy prose diary, \u003cem\u003eThe Book of Disquiet\u003c\/em\u003e, that was only published after Pessoa's death. Pessoa himself died in \u003cstrong\u003e1935\u003c\/strong\u003e at age 47, leaving behind a trunk containing over \u003cstrong\u003e25,000 manuscript pages\u003c\/strong\u003e — most of it unpublished. Today he is considered one of the greatest writers in the Portuguese language and a towering figure of world literature.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eA Rose for Every Self\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe reverse design is unlike anything else in world banknote art. Rather than a building or a landscape, the Bank of Portugal chose to represent Pessoa's \u003cstrong\u003emultiplicity of selves\u003c\/strong\u003e — a rose at the center, ribbons unfurling with the names of his heteronyms. It is a \u003cstrong\u003ephilosophical statement\u003c\/strong\u003e pressed into paper currency: identity is not singular, the self is a fiction, and a nation can honor a man precisely for his refusal to be just one person. For a collector, this note is not just money — it is a \u003cstrong\u003emeditation on authorship and identity\u003c\/strong\u003e rendered in ink and cotton fiber.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOwn both notes and hold the complete literary epilogue of the Portuguese Escudo — two poets, two masterpieces of banknote engraving, one unforgettable set.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"World Money Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52741419204919,"sku":"PTSET-2x100ESCXF","price":7.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0969\/7165\/3431\/files\/PT-set-2x100esc.jpg?v=1785420000","url":"https:\/\/worldmoneystore.com\/products\/portugal-2-pcs-set-stunning-last-2-100-escudos-pre-euro-p178-p179-xf-extra-fine","provider":"World Money Store","version":"1.0","type":"link"}