100 Bolivianos

The Banco Nacional de Bolivia was established in 1871 with a concession from the Bolivian government, and by the early 1880s it held a dominant position in the country's note-issuing activity — though it was never a true central bank, competing with several other privileged provincial banks throughout the decade. The 1882 series, printed by the American Bank Note Company in New York, reflects the common arrangement of the period whereby South American banks contracted ABNC rather than developing domestic printing infrastructure.

Bolivia had lost its Pacific coastal territory to Chile in the War of the Pacific just two years prior, a defeat that severely disrupted government finances and elevated the practical importance of private bank circulation. Whether this note saw heavy use or sat largely in reserve is difficult to establish — Pick 210 survivors in any grade are infrequently offered at auction.