Catalog
10 Sucres
| Issuer | Banco del Pichincha |
|---|---|
| Year | 1915-1924 |
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| Reference(s) | P#224 |
| Obverse description | Printed in green and orange tones on white paper, the obverse carries the bank title 'Banco del Pichincha' in bold letterpress across the top, with 'Quito' and 'Compañía Anónima' inscribed to the right. A large guilloche rosette centres the denomination numeral '10' in the middle field, flanked by intricate lathe-work underprint panels. To the right, an intaglio vignette depicts a condor with wings spread perched on a rocky outcrop against a mountain landscape, while the lower margin bears the legend 'DIEZ SUCRES EN MONEDA CORRIENTE' and the imprint of the American Bank Note Co., New York. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Printed entirely in orange-brown on white paper, the reverse is dominated by a central oval intaglio vignette of an allegorical female figure seated with a staff, accompanied by a cherub at her side and a globe and navigational instruments nearby, evoking commerce or science. The vignette is surrounded by elaborate guilloche lathe-work borders with repeated '10' numerals and ornamental cross-corner devices filling the field. The bank name 'BANCO DEL PICHINCHA' appears in a horizontal panel at the lower centre, with the American Bank Note Company imprint beneath. |
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| Comments |
Banco del Pichincha was founded in Quito in 1906 and became one of several regional Ecuadorian banks authorized to issue their own currency under the country's decentralized banking regime — a system that persisted until the 1927 Kemmerer Mission reforms forced consolidation and stripped private banks of note-issuing rights entirely. This note falls within that last window of legitimate private emission.
The American Bank Note Company's involvement was practically obligatory for Ecuadorian issuers of the period; ABNC held near-monopoly relationships with most South American banks requiring security printing, and plate elements were frequently shared or adapted across clients. Whether this specific design was exclusive to Pichincha or borrowed from a common stock plate is worth examining before attribution.