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20 Bolivianos
| Issuer | Banco de la Nación Boliviana |
|---|---|
| Year | 1911 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | 185 x 85 mm |
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| Obverse description | The obverse is printed in black and green on white paper, with a central vignette of a seated allegorical male figure representing industry or commerce, resting against a cannon with a river and sailing vessels in the background. The bank title 'EL BANCO DE LA NACION BOLIVIANA' arches across the top, flanked by large guilloche numerals '20' at left and right, with the place and date 'LA PAZ, 11 de Mayo de 1911' inscribed in the upper portion. The denomination 'VEINTE BOLIVIANOS' is lettered along the lower central panel, with serial number and series letter printed in red at upper left and right, and two manuscript signatures of bank officials across the bottom. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse is printed entirely in red-brown on white paper, with a large central oval vignette of the Bolivian national coat of arms, surrounded by elaborate guilloche lathe-work and floral arabesque borders. Large numerals '20' appear at left and right within ornate panels, and the legend 'BANCO DE LA NACION BOLIVIANA' is set along the lower portion of the central design. A repeating marginal inscription reading 'VEINTE PESOS' runs along all four borders, with the printer's imprint 'AMERICAN BANK NOTE COMPANY, NEW YORK' in small lettering at the bottom edge. |
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| Comments |
The Banco de la Nación Boliviana was established by law in 1911, replacing a chaotic landscape of private commercial banks that had each issued their own currency — a system that had produced rampant over-issuance and contributed to serious monetary instability in the preceding decades. This note belongs to the bank's inaugural series, making it an early product of Bolivia's attempt to centralize note-issuing authority under a single state institution.
ABNC's engraved work for Bolivian state clients during this period was consistently high quality, and the watermarked cotton stock was a deliberate step up from the paper standards many of the replaced private banks had used.