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20 Bolivianos
| Issuer | Banco Potosí |
|---|---|
| Year | 1887 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | Large 'Potosí' bank title in gothic lettering at upper left, flanked by two allegorical figures in intaglio: a reclining male figure at left and a standing female figure at right. Central guilloche vignette bears the denomination '20 BOLIVIANOS' in ornate letterpress. Date inscription 'Sucre, Enero 1ro de 1887' and ABNC imprint appear at lower centre. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Entirely covered by an intricate guilloche lathe-work border with denomination numerals '20' at left and right corners. A large central oval vignette rendered in intaglio displays a classical allegorical scene of putti at rest amid clouds, surrounded by dense engine-turned geometric patterns typical of ABNC production. |
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| Comments |
Banco Potosí was one of several Bolivian departmental banks authorized under the 1877 banking law, which fragmented note-issuing authority across regional institutions rather than consolidating it in a single national bank. The arrangement reflected Bolivia's political geography as much as its economic logic — Potosí's mining wealth justified local banking infrastructure, but it also meant these notes circulated in a geographically limited zone rather than nationally.
ABNC produced the plates in New York, as they did for most Bolivian departmental bank issues of this period. The series is genuinely scarce; Banco Potosí was wound down well before the 1911 nationalization that absorbed Bolivia's remaining private issuers, cutting the circulation window short.