Catalog
100 Bolívares
| Issuer | Banco Caracas |
|---|---|
| Year | 1911-1925 |
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| Reference(s) | P#S131 |
| Obverse description | The obverse is dominated by a large allegorical vignette at left of a seated female figure in classical dress at a writing desk, set against an architectural interior background. At centre, the issuer's name BANCO CARACAS and COMPAÑIA ANONIMA appears in bold letterpress across the upper field, with the promise text and denomination CIEN BOLIVARES rendered in ornate script below. An intaglio portrait medallion of a female figure appears at lower right within a circular guilloche frame, with denominational numerals 100 occupying the upper right and lower left corners. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse carries a central allegorical vignette of a seated female figure holding scales of justice, set within an elaborate geometric guilloche border. The circular legend BANCO CARACAS COMPAÑIA ANONIMA * CAPITAL Bs.6,000,000 * runs around the vignette's perimeter. Denominational counter numerals 100 appear at left and right within ornate lathe-work panels, with the inscription CIEN BOLIVARES lettered at top and bottom. |
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| Comments |
The Banco Caracas was one of several Venezuelan private banks authorized to issue notes during the era of concurrent circulation, before the Banco Central de Venezuela consolidated control in 1940. Homer Lee Bank Note Co., a New York firm that competed with the larger American Bank Note Company for Latin American contracts, handled the printing — they were active primarily in the first three decades of the twentieth century before eventually being absorbed into larger operations.
The extended dating range of 1911–1925 reflects hand-dated issue over a long print run from a single plate order, not multiple printings. High-denomination private bank notes of this period in Venezuela saw limited day-to-day use and circulated mainly in commercial transactions between merchants and import houses.