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20 Centavos
| Issuer | Banco del Cauca |
|---|---|
| Year | 1886 |
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| Reference(s) | P#S356 |
| Obverse description | The obverse is printed in dark brown ink on cream paper. At upper centre, the bold heading reads REPÚBLICA DE COLOMBIA, with ESTADO DEL CAUCA below in a secondary legend line; the denomination VEINTE CENTAVOS appears in large bold lettering at centre, accompanied by the promise text El Banco del Cauca pagará al portador a la vista in script. An oval portrait vignette at left centre shows a uniformed figure, with the numeral 20 repeated in ornamental panels at left and right; three signature lines at lower centre are designated EL GERENTE, EL PRESIDENTE, and EL INSPECTOR, with the date CALI, 19 de Mayo de 1886 printed below the denomination. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse is printed in brown ink and dominated by an intricate lathe-work guilloche design composed of interlocking geometric and scrollwork patterns. The bank name BANCO DEL CAUCA appears in bold serif lettering across the centre within a rectangular panel framed by fine engine-turned borders. The numeral 20 is placed in each of the four corners, with CENTAVOS lettered vertically along the left and right margins; the printer's imprint AMERICAN BANK NOTE COMPANY NEW YORK appears at the lower margin. |
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| Comments |
The Banco del Cauca was one of Colombia's short-lived regional banks authorized under the 1880 banking law, which granted private institutions the right to issue currency — a privilege that lasted only until the Banco Nacional asserted its monopoly through the 1880s and 1890s. This 20 Centavos piece from 1886 sits near the tail end of that window. Low-denomination fractional notes like this one were typically the first to wear out and disappear; survivors are correspondingly rare.
ABNC's involvement was standard for Colombian regional banks of the period, which routinely contracted New York engravers rather than local printers.