Catalog
1 Sol
| Issuer | Banco de Londres Mexico y Sud America |
|---|---|
| Year | 1873 |
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| Value | 1 Sol |
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| Obverse description | The obverse is printed in blue-black ink on white paper, with a guilloche border bearing repeated '1' and 'UNO' lettering along the top and bottom edges. At center, the bank's coat of arms vignette is flanked by two oval '1' counters at upper left and upper right; to the lower left appears a scene of figures with a horse-drawn carriage, and to the lower right a portrait vignette of a woman. The issuing text 'BANCO DE LONDRES MEXICO Y SUD AMERICA' arches across the upper portion, with 'UN SOL' in large letters below, the place and date 'Lima' and a manuscript date visible in the center field, and a handwritten signature appearing beneath the promise-to-pay legend. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | BANCO DE LONDRES MEXICO Y SUD AMERICA Y SUD AMERICA Pagará á la vista al portador for the LONDON BANK OF MEXICO & SOUTH AMERICA LIMITED UN SOL en efectivo Lima UNO |
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| Comments |
The Banco de Londres México y Sud América was the first chartered bank in Mexico, established in 1864 under a concession from the Maximilian government. This 1 Sol note is unusual within the bank's own portfolio — the Sol was Peruvian currency, and the bank operated branches throughout South America, making this a Lima-market instrument rather than anything to do with Mexico despite the issuer's Mexico City charter headquarters.
ABNC printed extensively for South American clients in the 1870s, and this note belongs to that broader regional push. The Sol denomination was decimalized in Peru only in 1863, so this note arrives early in that new monetary framework.