Catalog
20 Bolivianos / 2 Bolivares
| Issuer | Banco Central de Bolivia |
|---|---|
| Year | 1945 |
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| Printer | Thomas De La Rue & Company, Limited |
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| Obverse description | Intaglio-printed portrait of Libertador Simón Bolívar in a finely engraved oval vignette at right, set within an elaborate guilloche border; the Bolivian coat of arms appears at left with flanking decorative elements. The denomination numeral "20" is rendered in intaglio at centre over a multicolour guilloche rosette underprint, with the written denomination "VEINTE BOLIVIANOS" below; three facsimile signatures appear at the base under the titles CONTADOR, SUPERINTENDENTE DE BANCOS, and GERENTE GENERAL. The place and date of issue read "LA PAZ, Ley de 20 de Diciembre de 1945" in the lower centre field. |
|---|---|
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| Signature(s) | series A - Sánchez, Frías, Damaso Carrasco series A-C - Sánchez, Saravia, Cuadros Sánchez series A-C - Córdova, Saravia, Cuadros Sánchez series A-C - Córdova, Saravia, Hinojosa series D-P - del Castillo, Saravia, Hinojosa series P-Q - del Castillo, Maldonado, Hinojosa series Q - del Castillo, Maldonado, Sánchez |
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| Comments |
The dual denomination — 20 Bolivianos on one face, 2 Bolivares on the other — reflects Bolivia's transitional monetary period of the mid-1940s, when the country was shifting its unit of account from the Boliviano to the Bolivar. The Bolivar was introduced at a ratio of 1 Bolivar to 10 Bolivianos, making this a bridging note designed to function during the crossover rather than as a permanent issue.
Seven distinct signature combinations across series A through Q indicate a production run that stretched well beyond 1945 — Thomas De La Rue continued supplying printed sheets as successive central bank administrations turned over. That many signing officials across a single Pick number is unusual and complicates precise dating of individual specimens.