Catalog
20 Centésimos Provisional
| Issuer | Banco de la República Oriental del Uruguay |
|---|---|
| Year | 1920 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Peso (1863-1975) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse of the host 1 Peso note carries the issuer name in a curved legend at top and the national coat of arms as a central vignette. The original face value inscription at bottom and the numerals at all four corners are suppressed by three parallel horizontal black overprint bars, with 'PROVISORIO' overprinted across the center and the new denomination 'VEINTE CENTÉSIMOS' overprinted below it. |
| Reverse lettering | BANCO de la REPÚBLICA ORIENTAL del URUGUAY PROVISORIO VEINTE CENTÉSIMOS UN PESO (Translation: Bank of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay Provisional Twenty cents One Peso) |
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| Comments |
Uruguay's Banco de la República Oriental del Uruguay resorted to provisional low-denomination issues in the early 1920s partly because small-change shortages were chronic across the Río de la Plata region following the disruptions of World War One trade finance. Contracting the Casa de Moneda in Buenos Aires was a straightforward practical decision — the Argentine national mint had been producing quality intaglio work for decades and was geographically the most accessible facility of that standard.
The "Provisional" designation in the title is the telling detail. These were stop-gap instruments, never intended as permanent additions to the series, which likely kept print runs modest and redemption swift.