Catalog
100 Soles
| Issuer | República del Perú |
|---|---|
| Year | 1879 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | CIEN SOLES REPÚBLICA DEL PERÚ LIMA JUNIO 30 DE 1879 Pagará al portador CIEN SOLES Conforme á lo dispuesto en las leyes de 21 de Enero y 4 de Febrero de 1879 POR LA JUNTA ADMINISTRADORA Y DE VIGILANCIA DE LA EMISIÓN FISCAL American Bank Note Co. New York 100 |
| Reverse description | The central intaglio vignette within an oval frame shows a young peasant girl leading a horse laden with hay through a rocky stream, rendered in fine black engraving against a rural landscape background. Large dark medallions at left and right carry the numeral '100' and the letter 'C' respectively, all set against an elaborate red guilloche border with floral and scroll ornaments filling the entire field. The inscription 'LA REPÚBLICA DEL PERÚ' is lettered in a banner across the lower margin, with the printer's imprint below. |
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| Comments |
Peru's fiscal position collapsed rapidly after the War of the Pacific began in April 1879 — Chile declared war on Bolivia first, then Peru in early April, drawing Lima into a conflict it was wholly unprepared to finance. This note was issued that same year, part of a forced monetization effort to cover military expenditures as silver coin disappeared from circulation almost immediately. The government effectively printed its way through the opening phase of the war.
ABNC produced the plates in New York well before hostilities, the company having secured a series of Peruvian contracts through the 1870s. By 1881, Chilean forces occupied Lima and the issuing authority ceased to function.