Catalog
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| Issuer | Correos del Uruguay |
|---|---|
| Year | 1868 |
| Type | Local banknote |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| 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 | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Handstamp |
| Protection description | Circular handstamp in purple or black ink applied by the issuing postal office, incorporating the office name and date as a validation device. |
| Variants | Log in to see details |
| Comments |
In the late 1860s, Uruguay faced a severe shortage of small-denomination coins, a problem common across much of Latin America as metallic currency drained out of circulation through hoarding and export. The postal authority stepped in as an improvised solution, issuing adhesive postage stamp-like scrips for use as fractional currency. It was an unconventional arrangement — a postal administration functioning as a de facto monetary issuer — but not without precedent on the continent.
The handstamp authentication was the only real control measure applied, and genuine examples without it exist, complicating attribution.