Catalog
2 Quetzales
| Issuer | Banco Central de Guatemala |
|---|---|
| Year | 1936 |
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| Printer | Thomas De La Rue & Company |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse, printed in orange, centres on a large intaglio vignette of a tranquil lake scene with reeds in the foreground and a mountain range in the distance, enclosed within a ruled rectangular frame. The bank title 'BANCO CENTRAL DE GUATEMALA' is set in a letterpress panel at the top, while the denomination '2 DOS QUETZALES 2' appears along the lower margin. Elaborate guilloche rosettes occupy both lateral fields, and the printer's imprint of Thomas De La Rue & Company, London, is present in small type at the foot of the note. |
| Reverse lettering | BANCO CENTRAL DE GUATEMALA 2 DOS QUETZALES 2 THOMAS DE LA RUE & COMPANY LIMITED LONDON |
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| Comments |
Guatemala's central bank was only five years old when this note was issued, having been established in 1926 to replace the failed private banking system that had collapsed under a currency crisis in the early 1920s. The Quetzal itself — introduced at par with the US dollar in 1925 — was still a relatively new unit, and the 1930s series printed by De La Rue represented the young institution's first properly standardized paper currency.
De La Rue's work for Guatemala in this period was among their more technically accomplished Central American commissions. The P#18A is catalogued as a distinct variety from the broader type 18 series, a distinction typically reflecting a signature combination change on the face of the note.