Catalog
1.000 Bolívares
| Issuer | Banco Comercial (later Banco Comercial de Maracaibo) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1880 |
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| Reference(s) | P#170 |
| Obverse description | Green-tinted note with the bank title 'BANCO COMERCIAL' in large letters across the upper portion, flanked by corner numerals '1000' within ornate guilloche rosettes. At center, an oval vignette presents a bull in full gallop. To the left, the Venezuelan coat of arms is rendered in intaglio, while a figural vignette to the right shows two men at a coastal or industrial scene. The text block at center reads 'SOCIEDAD ANÓNIMA / CAPITAL B/3.200,000 / VALE POR / MIL BOLÍVARES', with manuscript date line and place of payment in Caracas. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | BANCO COMERCIAL SOCIEDAD ANÓNIMA CAPITAL B/3.200,000 VALE POR MIL BOLÍVARES Caracas, de 188 que se pagarán al portador en Caracas CAPITAL B/3.200,000 1000 |
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| Comments |
The Banco Comercial was a regional institution based in Maracaibo, operating during a period when Venezuelan provincial banks — not the central government — were the primary issuers of paper currency. The bank later rechartered under the name Banco Comercial de Maracaibo, and notes issued before that change carry the earlier institutional name, creating a practical dating problem for collectors trying to narrow issue windows.
American Bank Note Company produced the plates in New York, as they did for much of Latin American banking paper in this period. At 1,000 bolívares, this was a high-denomination commercial instrument — not intended for everyday exchange but for large mercantile transactions in what was then Venezuela's most important oil-free commercial port.