Catalog
1 Peso
| Issuer | Banco de Occidente |
|---|---|
| Year | 1900-1921 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Peso (1837-1914) |
| 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 | The reverse is executed in dark brown ink with an elaborate symmetrical guilloche framework, flanking a central oval cartouche enclosing the Guatemalan national coat of arms — the quetzal bird perched above a scroll inscribed 'LIBERTAD 15 DE SEPTIEMBRE DE 1821'. Rectangular denomination panels reading 'UN PESO' appear at left and right, with 'BANCO DE OCCIDENTE' arching above and 'QUEZALTENANGO' below the central arms, all enclosed within intricate scrollwork borders. The printer's imprint 'Waterlow & Sons Limited, London Wall, London E.C.' is lettered at the lower margin. |
| Reverse lettering | BANCO DE OCCIDENTE QUEZALTENANGO LIBERTAD 15 DE SEPTIEMBRE DE 1821 UN PESO Waterlow & Sons Limited, London Wall, London E.C. |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | Log in to see details |
| Variants | Log in to see details |
| Comments |
Banco de Occidente was one of several Colombian regional banks operating under the 1880 banking law that permitted private note issue, a system that survived well into the twentieth century before the Banco de la República absorbed the privilege following its establishment in 1923. Waterlow & Sons handled a considerable volume of Latin American commercial bank work during this period, and the Occidente contract was part of that broader pattern rather than anything exceptional.
The extended dating range — 1900 to 1921 — suggests the same printed stock was signed and dated on demand over two decades, a common practice for low-denomination notes from smaller regional issuers with modest circulation needs.