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1 Boliviano
| Issuer | Banco Nacional de Bolivia |
|---|---|
| Year | 1872 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | First boliviano (1864-1963) |
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| Obverse description | Central intaglio vignette of two allegorical female figures flanking a globe surmounted by an eagle, with the Bolivian coat of arms below; guilloche borders frame the design with numeral "1" at left and right. Bank title in large letters across the top reads "EL BANCO BOLIVIANO" with overprint "BANCO NACIONAL DE BOLIVIA" in manuscript, and "UN PESO FUERTE" at lower left and right. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Uniface green letterpress back with a central rectangular panel bearing the inscription "BANCO BOLIVIANO" surrounded by intricate guilloche lacework. Two large circular guilloche rosettes, each inscribed "UNO", flank the central panel symmetrically. |
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| Comments |
The Banco Nacional de Bolivia was established in 1871, making this 1872 note among the earliest issues from that institution. The printer, Compañía Nacional de Billetes de Banco, was a New York firm that handled currency production for several Latin American clients in the early 1870s — a period when few South American countries had the infrastructure to print their own notes domestically.
Bolivia's monetary system at the time was anchored to silver, and paper money remained deeply unpopular in highland commercial culture. Actual circulation of these early Banco Nacional notes was limited and geographically uneven, concentrated in Sucre and the mining regions rather than spreading broadly.
The P#S181 prefix "S" in the Pick catalog denotes a private bank issue rather than a national government emission.