Catalog
10 Pesos Banco Nacional de Chile
| Issuer | Banco Nacional de Chile |
|---|---|
| Year | 1879 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | Black on green and brown underprint, with a portrait vignette of Pedro de Valdivia at left, a condor vignette at center, and the Chilean Coat of Arms at right. The overall design incorporates intricate guilloche patterning in the underprint across the face of the note. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse lettering | EL BANCO NACIONAL DE CHILE DIEZ AMERICAN BANK NOTE COMPANY, NEW YORK (Translation: The National Bank of Chile / Ten) |
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| Comments |
The Banco Nacional de Chile was one of several private issuing banks operating under Chile's 1860 banking law, which permitted chartered institutions to issue their own notes backed by metallic reserves. The outbreak of the War of the Pacific in April 1879 changed everything — the Chilean government suspended convertibility that same year, forcing all private bank notes into inconvertible status almost immediately after this series entered circulation.
American Bank Note Company produced the plates in New York, as they did for most Chilean private bank paper of this period. ABNC's grip on South American note printing during the 1870s was near-total.