Catalog
2 Quetzales
| Issuer | Banco Central de Guatemala |
|---|---|
| Year | 1936 |
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| Currency | Quetzal (1925-date) |
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| Obverse description | Printed in orange on white cotton paper, the obverse carries the bank title 'BANCO CENTRAL DE GUATEMALA' at the top with 'GUATEMALA, CENTRO AMERICA' below, flanked by two ornate columnar vignettes each surmounted by a quetzal bird. A central landscape vignette renders Volcán de Agua rising above a tropical lakeside scene with palm trees, framed by guilloche underprint work. The denomination oval 'DOS QUETZALES' appears to the right of centre, with serial number and three manuscript signatures along the lower portion, and the date 'Acuerdo de 25 de Enero de 1936' inscribed vertically at left. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | BANCO CENTRAL DE GUATEMALA GUATEMALA, CENTRO AMERICA Pagará al portador en efectivo, a la vista y a la par DOS QUETZALES Acuerdo de 25 de Enero de 1936. |
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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.