Catalog
20 Bolívares
| Issuer | Banco Caracas |
|---|---|
| Year | |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | P#S102 |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | BANCO CARACAS COMPANIA ANONIMA CAPITAL B 6.000.000 El Banco Caracas pagará al portador en dinero efectivo VEINTE BOLIVARES A LA PRESENTACION DE ESTE BILLETE EN LAS OFICINAS DEL BANCO. Caracas DIRECTOR GERENTE SPECIMEN |
| Reverse description | Printed entirely in green, the reverse is built around a large central guilloche medallion enclosing an allegorical vignette of a seated female figure holding a staff and scales, set before an Andean landscape. The circular legend around the medallion reads 'BANCO CARACAS COMPANIA ANONIMA · CAPITAL B 6.000.000 ·'. Corner panels carry the denomination numeral '20' within intricate lathe-work borders, and fine geometric engine-turned patterns fill the remaining field. The printer's imprint of Homer Lee Bank Note Co., New York appears at the lower margin. |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | Log in to see details |
| Variants | Log in to see details |
| Comments |
Banco Caracas was a private commercial bank operating in Venezuela before the Banco Central de Venezuela's eventual monopoly on issue. The Homer Lee Bank Note Co. was a mid-tier American security printer based in New York that competed for Latin American contracts during the late 19th and early 20th centuries — a period when Venezuelan private bank notes were numerous, regionally circulated, and often short-lived due to political instability and repeated banking law reforms.
Private bank issuance in Venezuela effectively ended with the 1940 Ley del Banco Central, making survivors from institutions like Banco Caracas genuinely uncommon in any grade.