Catalog
20 Pesos Overprint
| Issuer | Banco de la República |
|---|---|
| Year | 1923 |
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| Value | 20 Pesos (20 COP) |
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| Obverse description | The obverse reproduces a Casa de Moneda de Medellin gold certificate dated 15 September 1919, with a central intaglio vignette of a seated allegorical female figure flanked by large rosette guilloche medallions bearing the numeral 20 at each corner. The heading CASA DE MONEDA DE MEDELLIN arches across the upper field, with VEINTE PESOS in a bold panel beneath the central vignette and CERTIFICADO DE ORO also inscribed. Three manuscript signature lines appear at the lower margin for El Tesorero, El Subsecretario de Hacienda, and El Administrador de la Casa de Moneda. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse retains the blue-printed text of the original Departamento de Antioquia obligation under the heading REPUBLICA DE COLOMBIA / DEPARTAMENTO DE ANTIOQUIA, with a small arms vignette at the lower centre. A bold diagonal letterpress overprint reading BANCO DE LA REPUBLICA / BILLETE PROVISIONAL is applied across the note, formally converting the departmental certificate into a provisional banknote of the newly established central bank. |
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| Comments |
Colombia's Banco de la República was established in July 1923, replacing a chaotic system of private bank issuance that had contributed to repeated currency crises. This note belongs to the transitional overprint series produced as the new institution rushed to get paper into circulation before purpose-designed notes were ready — existing stock was overprinted with the new bank's authority rather than waiting for fresh plates.
The ABNC's involvement was a practical continuity: they had printed for Colombian institutions before and held the necessary plates.