Catalog
20 Quetzales
| Issuer | Banco de Guatemala |
|---|---|
| Year | 1965-1971 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | The obverse is printed in blue-green tones on a fine guilloche underprint, with the bank title BANCO DE GUATEMALA and the subtitle GUATEMALA, CENTRO AMERICA across the top. A central rosette vignette contains the numeral 20 in intaglio, flanked by denomination numerals at left and right corners, while a circular portrait vignette at the right depicts a young man in period dress, identified as Dr. Mariano Gálvez. Two signatures appear below the central vignette alongside printed title designations, with the serial number repeated at upper left and lower right. |
|---|---|
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| Protection description | Watermark visible in the blank oval panel on the reverse side of the note. |
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| Comments |
The Banco de Guatemala series printed by Thomas De La Rue through this period reflects a deliberate post-revolutionary institutional rebranding — the 1944 revolution had swept out the old Ubico-era financial apparatus, and the central bank, established in 1946, spent the following decades building note designs that projected stability toward foreign creditors and the IMF, with whom Guatemala maintained close relations.
De La Rue's contract for Guatemalan issues ran across multiple denominations in this period. The 20 Quetzal denomination was the highest-value note in regular circulation for much of this run, making it more commonly encountered in lightly handled rather than well-worn condition — high-value notes change hands fewer times.