Catalog
20 Pesos
| Issuer | Tesoro Nacional de Colombia |
|---|---|
| Year | 1921 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 20 Pesos |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse is printed in reddish-brown on cream paper within an ornate guilloche border with foliate corner ornaments, the interior filled with a dense block of regulatory text governing the use and amortisation of the treasury note. The text specifies that the vale is destined exclusively for the settlement of Treasury debt outstanding to 31 December 1921, and sets out acceptance conditions, interest rates, and lottery amortisation procedures under Articles 17, 21, and 23 of Law 61 of 1921. A printed signature of El Tesorero General appears at the foot of the text block. |
| Reverse lettering | El Vale del Tesoro se destina únicamente al pago de la deuda de Tesorería pendiente el 31 de diciembre de 1921 EL TESORERO GENERAL |
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| Comments |
The Tesoro Nacional — Colombia's national treasury, functioning as a quasi-central bank before the Banco de la República was established in 1923 — issued this note during a period of chronic monetary disorder. Colombia had suffered through civil war, the War of a Thousand Days ending only in 1902, and its paper money circulated at ruinous discounts against specie for years afterward. By 1921, the treasury was still managing a fragmented currency system that the new bank would eventually consolidate.
Litografía Nacional in Bogotá was a domestic printer, and the limitations of local lithographic production at the time are occasionally visible in surviving examples — registration inconsistencies and uneven ink density are known to occur across the series.