Catalog
20 Bolivianos
| Issuer | Banco Nacional de Bolivia |
|---|---|
| Year | 1910 |
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| Printer | American Bank Note Company |
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| Obverse description | At left, an allegorical seated female figure in classical robes is rendered in intaglio. The central field is occupied by a large ornate guilloche rosette bearing the numeral '20' at its core, surrounded by multicoloured lathe-work underprint in concentric oval bands. The bank title 'EL BANCO NACIONAL DE BOLIVIA' runs across the top in bold letterpress, with 'VEINTE BOLIVIANOS' along the lower margin and the issue inscription 'SUCRE. Emisión de 1910' beneath the heading. |
|---|---|
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| Variants | P#S217s - Specimen P#S217a - Issued note |
| Comments |
The Banco Nacional de Bolivia was a private commercial institution operating under government concession — not a central bank. It held note-issuing privileges during a period when Bolivia had no unified national currency authority, and several private banks competed for that role simultaneously. That arrangement ended when the Banco de la Nación Boliviana was established in 1911, effectively retiring the Nacional's circulation rights and making 1910 issues among the last produced under this concession.
ABNC printed the series in New York using intaglio plate work typical of their South American commercial contracts of that decade. Surviving examples often show horizontal fold fatigue at the center — the format encouraged folding in thirds for pocket storage.