Catalog
1 Peso
| Issuer | Banco Nacional |
|---|---|
| Year | 1826 |
| Type | Local banknote |
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| Obverse description | The face of this early Argentine banknote bears the heading BANCO NACIONAL in a bold letterpress panel at the top, below which the denomination UN PESO appears in large type flanked by the Argentine national coat of arms as a central vignette. The text body carries a promise to pay the bearer in script typeface — "Promete pagar al Portador diez y siete Pesos, ó una Onza de Oro sellado, por diez y siete de estos Billetes" — signed by Los Directores y Compañía with manuscript signatures below. A decorative border of geometric and floral ornamental rules frames the entire note, and a lower panel bears the warning legend "La ley condena a muerte al falsificador y cómplices." |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | BANCO NACIONAL UN PESO. Promete pagar al Portador diez y siete Pesos, ó una Onza de Oro sellado, por diez y siete de estos Billetes. POR LOS DIRECTORES Y COMP.ª CAJA DE La ley condena a muerte al falsificador y cómplices. |
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| Comments |
The Banco Nacional de las Provincias Unidas del Río de la Plata was founded in 1826 under Bernardino Rivadavia's presidency, making this note among the earliest formal paper currency issued in Argentine history. The bank collapsed in 1836 after years of fiscal mismanagement and the costs of the 1825–1828 war with Brazil, and its notes rapidly lost value before being withdrawn entirely.
Printed locally in Buenos Aires rather than contracted to a European house, the production quality reflects the limitations of available printing infrastructure in the region at the time. Surviving examples are genuinely rare — the bank's short lifespan and the subsequent destruction of unredeemed notes ensured that.