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1/2 Real Boliviano
| Issuer | Banco J. Benites é Hijo |
|---|---|
| Year | 1867 |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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| Obverse description | Printed in black on pale paper, the obverse carries the bank title EL BANCO J. BENITES é HIJO in large letters across the upper portion, with the fractional denomination ½ repeated in each corner. To the left, a classical allegorical vignette presents a standing female figure holding a banner inscribed '½ REAL', attended by two putti at her feet. The body text, dated Guayaquil, Enero 1º de 1867, states the note is payable to the bearer on demand for medio real boliviano, at a rate of eight such notes for four reales. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | EL BANCO J. BENITES é HIJO ½ REAL A. Nº 041794 Guayaquil, Enero 1º de 1867 Pagará al portador y á la vista MEDIO REAL Boliviano dando cuatro reales de la misma especie por OCHO de estos billetes pp. J. Benites é hijo |
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| Comments |
Banco J. Benites é Hijo was a short-lived private commercial bank operating in Bolivia during the brief window when the country permitted quasi-free banking under relatively permissive 1860s commercial legislation. The half-real denomination points to genuinely small-transaction use — fractional notes of this kind were issued to address chronic shortages of low-denomination specie, a persistent problem throughout the Andean economies in this period.
PS-prefixed references indicate this is catalogued in the Specialized volume as a private or provincial issue rather than a central authority note. Documentation on Benites é Hijo is thin, and surviving examples are rare enough that auction appearances are infrequent.