Catalog
1 Peso
| Issuer | Republica de Chile |
|---|---|
| Year | 1898-1919 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | 120 × 70 mm |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Printed in dark green, the reverse is dominated by an elaborate engine-turned guilloche pattern radiating concentrically from a central cartouche bearing the numeral "1" above the word "UNO" in bold serif lettering. The inscriptions "REPÚBLICA" and "DE CHILE" are set within arched guilloche banners at the top and bottom respectively, and the printer's imprint appears in small type along the lower margin. |
| Reverse lettering | REPÚBLICA 1/UNO DE CHILE American Bank Note Company, New York. (Translation: Republic 1/Uno of Chile American Bank Note Company, New York.) |
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| Comments |
Chile's 1 Peso series under the Republica de Chile designation spans a turbulent period in the country's monetary history — the decades following the 1878 suspension of gold convertibility, during which Chile operated under a prolonged paper money regime that only formally ended with the 1925 monetary reform under Kemmerer. These notes circulated through the War of the Pacific's aftermath, a civil war in 1891, and chronic inflationary pressure that eroded confidence in small denominations specifically.
The American Bank Note Company held Chile's printing contracts through much of this period, and the 1 Peso was among the lowest-value pieces produced — meaning heavy turnover, aggressive wear, and high destruction rates. Surviving examples from the early end of the date range are meaningfully scarcer than those from the 1910s.