Catalog
20 Centavos
| Issuer | Banco Nacional del Perú |
|---|---|
| Year | 1873 |
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| Value | 20 Centavos |
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| Obverse description | The obverse presents the bank title EL BANCO NACIONAL DEL PERU in an arc across the top, flanked by two circular guilloche medallions each bearing the numeral 20. A central vignette shows a classical female portrait bust with curled hair and a draped shoulder. Serial numbers appear in the upper corners within panel frames, with denomination text VEINTE CENTAVOS and the place-date Lima Enero 1° de 1873 inscribed in letterpress below the vignette. Two signature lines for Gerente appear at the foot of the note. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | EL BANCO NACIONAL DEL PERU SERIE A 20 CENTAVOS EN MONEDA CENTAVOS CORRIENTE Pagará á la vista al portador VEINTE CENTAVOS Lima Enero 1° de 1873 Gerente American Bank Note Co. N.Y. |
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| Comments |
The Banco Nacional del Perú was established in 1872 with significant backing from private Peruvian and foreign commercial interests, and this 20 Centavos note belongs to the bank's earliest emission. Small-denomination fractional notes of this kind were issued partly to address a chronic shortage of small coin in everyday Peruvian commerce — a problem that plagued most South American economies throughout the nineteenth century.
The American Bank Note Company handled the printing at its New York facilities, as it did for the majority of Peruvian paper issues of the period. The bank itself had a short operational life; financial instability and the approach of the War of the Pacific contributed to its collapse well before the end of the decade.