Catalog
10 Pesos
| Issuer | Banco Español de Puerto Rico |
|---|---|
| Year | 1889-1890 |
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| Printer | American Bank Note Company, New York, United States |
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| Obverse description | Black ink on yellow and brown underprint. A vignette of the Paschal lamb is positioned at the left, while a pair of coastwatchers appears as a vignette at the right. The composition is set against a decorative underprint typical of American Bank Note Company engraving. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Printed in brown. The crowned Spanish royal arms appear as a central vignette, rendered in the intaglio style characteristic of late nineteenth-century colonial currency. |
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| Comments |
The Banco Español de Puerto Rico was established by royal decree in 1888 as the island's first formal note-issuing institution, operating under Spanish colonial authority at a moment when Spain was already losing its grip on the Caribbean. This series, printed by the American Bank Note Company, reflects the odd commercial reality of a Spanish colonial bank turning to a New York printer for its currency — ABNC was simply the most capable and trusted security printer in the hemisphere, and political considerations took a back seat to quality.
Puerto Rico's monetary history under the banco was short. The Spanish-American War of 1898 ended both Spanish sovereignty and the bank's operating authority, leaving outstanding notes in legal and financial limbo.