Catalog
1/2 Peso Oro
| Issuer | Banco de la República |
|---|---|
| Year | 1935 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Peso decimalized (1847-date) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Finely engraved reverse dominated by an elaborate symmetrical guilloche pattern with four ornamental rosette medallions at the corners and a central oval vignette containing a classical Liberty head in profile facing left. The denomination numeral '1/2' appears in each corner and along the side borders, with repeated 'MEDIO PESO ORO' legends in the upper and lower margin bands. The printer's imprint 'AMERICAN BANK NOTE COMPANY' appears at the bottom. |
| Reverse lettering | BANCO DE LA REPÚBLICA BOGOTA COLOMBIA MEDIO PESO ORO (Translation: Bank of the Republic, Bogota Colombia, Half a Peso Oro) |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | Log in to see details |
| Variants | Log in to see details |
| Comments |
Colombia's Banco de la República issued this fractional peso oro denomination during a period when coin shortages made low-value paper necessary for everyday transactions. The half-peso format was never a comfortable fit for a public that preferred metal for small change, and the series had a short effective circulation life as a result.
The American Bank Note Company held the Colombian contract through much of this period, producing notes in New York before shipment south. ABNC's intaglio work on Colombian fractionals from the 1930s is generally finer than the denominations' humble face value might suggest.