Catalog
1/2 Real Plata Boliviana
| Issuer | Banco del Rosario de Santa Fé |
|---|---|
| Year | 1866 |
| Type | Local banknote |
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| Obverse description | The obverse is set within a border of corner medallions bearing the numeral '1', with an oval cartouche at centre top inscribed 'EL BANCO DEL ROSARIO' flanking a central vignette of a bird. A serial number panel appears at left alongside a denomination panel reading 'UN REAL' at right. The text of the promise to pay, 'Pagará a la vista UN REAL al portador plata boliviana en efectivo', is printed in letterpress below, with the place and date of issue and a manuscript signature of the Gerente. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | EL BANCO DEL ROSARIO UN REAL Pagará a la vista UN REAL al portador plata boliviana en efectivo El Gerente |
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| Comments |
Banco del Rosario was one of several provincial Argentine banks chartered in the 1860s under the national banking law of 1863, which allowed provinces to establish note-issuing institutions backed by government bonds. Santa Fé's banking infrastructure at this period was thin, and fractional denominations like this half-real were a practical necessity in a province where small-change shortages were chronic and copper coin supply unreliable.
The "Plata Boliviana" designation is the telling detail — it pegged the note's value to Bolivian silver rather than to a domestic standard, reflecting how deeply Bolivian coinage had penetrated the interior Argentine currency supply by mid-century.