Catalog
20 Centavos
| Issuer | Banco Nacional de los Estados Unidos de Colombia |
|---|---|
| Year | 1880 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | 20 EL BANCO NACIONAL DE LOS EE.UU. DE COLOMBIA pagará al portador VEINTE CENTAVOS Y Y IMP.LE CHAIX DIRECTOR 1o DIRECTOR GERENTE DIRECTOR 2o (Translation: The National Bank of the United States of Colombia will pay to the bearer Twenty Centavos. Imp. Chaix. Director 1st, Managing Director, Director 2nd) |
| Reverse description | Orange print. Two rounded seals with 20 inside; oval stamp of National Bank; order number at top. |
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| Comments |
The Banco Nacional de los Estados Unidos de Colombia was established by law in 1880, making this 20 Centavos note effectively a founding-year issue. Colombia's federal banking experiments of this period were chronically short-lived — the Banco Nacional itself would be liquidated by 1894 after repeated conflicts between the national government and private banking interests over note issuance monopolies.
Imprimerie Chaix was primarily a commercial and poster printer in Paris, far better known for railway timetables and Belle Époque advertising work than for currency. Its appearance on a Latin American banknote contract is unusual and suggests the commission was won on price rather than specialist pedigree.