A one-cruzeiro note with an autograph instead of printed signatures is a hallmark of the very first notes of Brazil’s new currency. The cruzeiro replaced the real in 1942 at 1,000 réis to one cruzeiro, and the National Treasury issued this note in 1944; it was printed by the American Bank Note Company in the United States.

The front shows Admiral Joaquim Marques Lisboa, Marquis of Tamandaré, in an ornamental frame between the value numerals. The back continues the naval theme with the Naval School in Rio de Janeiro, captioned ESCOLA NAVAL.

The defining feature of this issue is the signature. There are no printed signatures of the finance minister and the director of the Amortization Fund: each note carries the autograph of the clerk who checked it, so the signatures differ from note to note.

For a Brazil collection this is the lowest value of the first issue of the cruzeiro era (1942–1967), and for a naval theme it pairs a fleet commander and a naval school on the two sides of one note. AU-UNC condition sits at the edge of uncirculated: there are virtually no signs of circulation, at most one light fold or a faint counting mark.

VPcoins brings coins and banknotes from all over the world together in one catalogue.