Catalog
20 Bolívares
| Issuer | Banco de Maracaibo |
|---|---|
| Year | 1925-1926 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 20 Bolívares |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | The obverse is dominated by a central allegorical vignette of a reclining female figure with a sailing ship vignette to the left and a circular coat of arms cartouche to the right, all set against a fine guilloche underprint. The heading 'BANCO DE MARACAIBO' and 'COMPAÑIA ANONIMA' appear in bold letterpress at the top, with the denomination numeral '20' rendered in large intaglio figures at the upper corners. The lower portion carries the obligation text 'VEINTE BOLIVARES' above two manuscript signatures over printed title designations. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | BANCO DE MARACAIBO COMPAÑIA ANONIMA SERIE B 20 VEINTE BOLIVARES QUE SE PAGARÁN AL PORTADOR A SU PRESENTACIÓN EN LAS OFICINAS DE ESTE BANCO GEREMTE SEGUNDO DIRECTOR-PRINCIPAL |
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| Comments |
The Banco de Maracaibo was a regional institution tied to the commercial interests of Venezuela's oil-boom western province, and by the mid-1920s it was operating in direct tension with the centralizing monetary ambitions of Juan Vicente Gómez's government. ABNC handled the printing, as it did for most Latin American issuers of the period who wanted engraved intaglio work they couldn't source domestically.
The series was short-lived. Gómez's push toward a unified national banking system effectively ended the note-issuing privileges of regional banks like this one within a few years of this issue date.