0.50 Quetzal / 50 Centavos Banco de Guatemala, 1st. type

The Banco de Guatemala was established in 1946 as part of a broad economic restructuring under the Arévalo administration, replacing the earlier Banco Central de Guatemala. This note belongs to the first series issued under the new central bank's authority, and the engagement of the American Bank Note Company reflects a standard regional practice — ABNC held printing contracts across Latin America throughout this period, and Guatemala was a long-standing client.

The ten-year span of this type, 1948 to 1958, covers the political turbulence of the Árbenz years and the 1954 CIA-backed coup. Monetary policy shifted considerably across that decade, yet the note design remained unchanged — an unusual continuity given the magnitude of the political break.