100 Bolivianos

Banco Potosí was one of several Bolivian provincial banks authorized to issue private banknotes under the 1871 banking law, which permitted departmental banks to circulate currency backed by their own reserves — a decentralized arrangement that lasted until the Bolivian government moved toward a unified national currency in the early twentieth century. Potosí itself had been the center of South American silver mining for centuries, and the bank drew its capitalization from that industry.

The American Bank Note Company printed for numerous Latin American issuers during this period, and the Banco Potosí series was among the higher-denomination commissions. At 100 bolivianos, this note represented serious purchasing power in 1887 Bolivia, making genuine circulation examples — as opposed to remainders — considerably harder to find.