Catalog
10 Bolivianos
| Issuer | Banco Mercantil |
|---|---|
| Year | 1906 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | EL BANCO MERCANTIL Nº 07398 Série B PAGARÁ A LA VISTA AL PORTADOR DIEZ BOLIVIANOS EN MONEDA CORRIENTE ORURO, BOLIVIA 1º DE JULIO DE 1906 POR EL CONTADOR DELEGADO DEL GOBIERNO American Bank Note Co. New York |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | BANCO MERCANTIL American Bank Note Co. New York |
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| Comments |
The Banco Mercantil was one of several private Bolivian banks of issue operating under the 1890 banking law, which permitted chartered commercial banks to circulate their own notes — a system that persisted until the Bolivian government moved to centralize currency control in the early 1910s. The American Bank Note Company handled the bulk of South American private bank printing during this period, and the quality of engraving on these issues far exceeded what circulated in practice.
Bolivia's high-altitude economy meant notes often passed through remote mining regions where physical wear was severe. Surviving examples from this series in presentable condition are genuinely uncommon.