Catalog
20 Pesos
| Issuer | Banco de Occidente, Sucursal de Guatemala |
|---|---|
| Year | 1890 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 20 Pesos |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | The obverse is printed in black intaglio over a yellow-orange and green guilloche underprint. A central vignette presents an allegorical female figure in classical robes surrounded by tropical foliage, with a bird perched on her hand and a mountainous landscape in the background. To the left is a circular vignette bearing the Guatemalan coat of arms, while to the right a large quetzal bird is rendered in fine intaglio engraving; denomination numerals '20' appear in each corner, and the imprint 'American Bank Note Co. New York' is visible at the lower margin. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | LA SUCURSAL GUATEMALA DEL BANCO DE OCCIDENTE QUEZALTENANGO EN QUEZALTENANGO VEINTE REPUBLICA DE GUATEMALA Pagará al portador VEINTE PESOS en moneda efectiva Y A LA PRESENTACION de 18 No. |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | Log in to see details |
| Variants | Log in to see details |
| Comments |
Banco de Occidente was a Colombian-chartered bank operating branches across Central America in the late nineteenth century — its Guatemala branch issued currency with full authority under Guatemalan banking concessions of the period. The arrangement was commercially pragmatic: foreign-chartered banks could obtain note-issuing rights in Guatemala provided they maintained specie reserves, which few reliably did.
ABNC's New York plates were shared across multiple Latin American clients, which occasionally produced near-identical design frameworks appearing under entirely different issuing names. Whether that applies to this series specifically is worth checking against contemporaneous Colombian and Guatemalan ABNC contracts.