Catalog
10 Centavos =1 Real
| Issuer | Banco Nacional de la República de Colombia |
|---|---|
| Year | 1888-1893 |
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| Reference(s) | P#211 |
| Obverse description | The obverse is printed in black and orange on a light background, with the Colombian national arms vignette in an oval frame at the left, showing the condor atop a shield with cornucopia and Phrygian cap. The central field carries the issuing authority title "Banco Nacional de la República de Colombia" in bold letterpress, with the promise-to-pay legend and denomination "Diez Centavos" in large Gothic script. Denomination numeral "10" appears in ornate guilloché panels at both left and right margins, with the place and date of issue, series letter, and a red serial number printed in the lower centre field; the imprint "American Bank Note Co. New-York." appears at the base. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse is printed entirely in green with an elaborate guilloché border and repeated underprint text filling the central panel. A large ornate numeral "10" occupies the left portion within an intricate lathe-work frame, while the right side bears a bold rectangular panel with the inscription "UN REAL". A large circular red control stamp is applied at centre-right. The imprint "American Bank Note Company, New York" appears along the lower margin. |
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| Comments |
The Banco Nacional de la República de Colombia was established in 1881 as a state monopoly issuer, displacing the private banks that had flooded the country with competing paper currencies through the 1870s. This fractional note — denominated in the transitional dual-unit system bridging centavos and reales — belongs to the bank's early emission period, when the Colombian government was still fighting to consolidate monetary authority against significant commercial resistance.
The American Bank Note Company supplied the entire series. ABNC's New York plant was the dominant supplier to Latin American governments throughout this period, and the quality of intaglio work on these small-denomination notes often exceeded what the issuing governments themselves considered necessary for coins-replacement scrip.