Catalog
10 Pesos
| Issuer | Banco Unión, Cartagena |
|---|---|
| Year | 1887 |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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| Obverse description | Central vignette of a three-masted sailing vessel on open water, flanked by two allegorical female figures seated at left and right. Bank title EL BANCO UNION arches across the top, with numeral 10 in each upper corner. Handwritten place name Cartagena and denomination text DIEZ PESOS appear in the lower central panel above signature lines for El Director and El Directivo. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | EL BANCO UNION DIEZ PESOS Cartagena Pagará al portador á la vista en su oficina la suma de DIEZ PESOS en moneda legal corriente EL SR. DIRECTOR EL DIRECTIVO |
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| Comments |
Banco Unión operated out of Cartagena during one of the most turbulent periods in Colombian banking history — the era of free banking under the 1871 law that allowed private regional banks to issue their own currency with minimal federal oversight. By 1887, the year of this note, political pressure was already building toward the banking centralization that would eventually produce the Banco Nacional's monopoly on issue.
ABNC's work for Colombian provincial banks during this period was extensive, and plates were sometimes shared or adapted across clients. Worth confirming whether the S868 plate was unique to Banco Unión or adapted from an earlier commission.