Catalog
20 Pesos
| Issuer | Banco de Occidente |
|---|---|
| Year | 1903-1920 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 20 Pesos |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | 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 is executed entirely in dark blue-grey intaglio, with a highly geometric design of interlocking guilloche patterns and ornate lathe-work borders covering the entire surface. Two large circular medallions, each containing the bold numeral '20', are positioned symmetrically at left and right, separated by a central band of fine engine-turned scrollwork. The bank name is divided across the design reading 'BANCO DE' above and 'OCCIDENTE EN QUEZALTENANGO' below, with the printer's imprint 'American Bank Note Co. New York' at the bottom margin. |
| Reverse lettering | BANCO DE OCCIDENTE EN QUEZALTENANGO American Bank Note Co. New York |
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| Comments |
Banco de Occidente was a regional private bank chartered in Cali, and like most Colombian departmental banks of the period, it retained note-issuing privileges under the 1880s banking legislation that decentralized currency production across the republic. The American Bank Note Company held standing contracts with several of these Colombian issuers simultaneously, which means the plate quality and engraving on this note are likely shared with or adapted from work done for neighboring institutions in the same print run cycle.
The long date range — 1903 to 1920 — spans Colombia's post-War of the Thousand Days recovery period and ends just before the 1923 Kemmerer Mission reforms that abolished private bank note issuance entirely and centralized currency under the Banco de la República.