Catalog
100 Colones
| Issuer | Banco Central de Reserva de El Salvador |
|---|---|
| Year | 1942 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | 156 x 67 mm |
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| Obverse description | Black and olive-green intaglio print on multicolor guilloche underprint, with a central vignette of the Independence Monument framed by elaborate lathe-work borders. Denomination numerals appear in each corner, with the issuing bank title in a top panel. The overall design is executed in the engraved style typical of American Bank Note Company production. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Printed entirely in olive-green, the reverse carries a central circular vignette with an intaglio portrait of Christopher Columbus in right-facing profile, set within an ornate guilloche border. Denomination numerals "100" appear in the four corners and at bottom center, flanked by intricate lathe-work panels. The imprint "AMERICAN BANK NOTE COMPANY" appears at the bottom margin below the primary design frame. |
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| Comments |
The Banco Central de Reserva de El Salvador was established in 1934 as part of a broader monetary reorganization following the catastrophic collapse of coffee prices during the Depression — El Salvador had suspended gold convertibility in 1931 and needed centralized control over note issuance. The 100 Colones was the highest denomination in circulation, which in a country where rural wages were measured in fractions of a colon made this effectively a wholesale banking instrument rather than everyday currency.
ABNC held the printing contract for Salvadoran notes through much of the mid-twentieth century. The 1942 date places this note squarely in wartime, when paper and ink allocation affected print runs across the Western Hemisphere.