100 Pesos

Buenos Aires province issued these notes during the 2001–2002 convertibility crisis, when the federal government's freeze on bank withdrawals — the infamous *corralito* — forced provincial governments across Argentina to print quasi-currency to meet payroll and public obligations. Buenos Aires was by far the largest issuer; its *Patacones*, as these became known colloquially, circulated at par with the peso and were accepted for tax payments and, eventually, by many private retailers.

Ciccone Calcográfica, the Don Torcuato security printer behind this issue, had been the dominant Argentine intaglio house since the mid-twentieth century. The federal government itself relied on the same facility for official peso production, which made the provincial emergency notes technically indistinguishable in print quality from orthodox currency — an awkward fact that complicated later redemption efforts.