Catalog
20 Pesos Fuertes
| Issuer | Banco de la Província de Buenos Aires |
|---|---|
| Year | 1865 |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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| Obverse description | Printed in green and black on light paper, the obverse carries the bank title 'El Banco de la Provincia de Buenos Aires' across the upper portion flanking a central oval vignette of the Argentine national arms, with two smaller oval vignettes along the left margin — a classical female allegorical figure above and a standing male figure with a staff below. The date 'Buenos Aires, Julio 1° 1865' and serial number appear at the top, with the denomination 'VEINTE PESOS FUERTES' in large letterpress type at centre, above the obligation text 'pagará al portador y a la vista en moneda de oro de curso legal la cantidad de'. A guilloche underprint panel at the foot bears the word 'VEINTE'. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse lettering | 20 |
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| Comments |
The Banco de la Província de Buenos Aires occupied an unusual position in Argentine monetary history: it functioned as a quasi-central bank for the province long before any national institution existed, and its notes circulated under a convertibility regime that was repeatedly suspended during fiscal emergencies. The 1865 issue coincided directly with the outbreak of the War of the Triple Alliance, when Buenos Aires was financing its share of a conflict that would drag on until 1870 and ultimately cost Paraguay the majority of its male population.
Wartime spending pressure made convertibility promises difficult to honor. Notes from this period are frequently found with heavy circulation wear — the pesos fuertes denomination itself was already a political statement, distinguishing "hard" peso obligations from the depreciated monedas corrientes that had plagued the region for decades.