1/2 Peso Oro

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.