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20 Quetzales Banco de Guatemala, Provisional issue
| Issuer | Banco de Guatemala |
|---|---|
| Year | 1946-1947 |
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| Currency | Quetzal (1925-date) |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Printed entirely in blue, the reverse centres on an intaglio vignette of the Palace of the Captains-General in Antigua, rendered with fine architectural detail against a mountainous horizon. Elaborate guilloche rosettes occupy the left and right panels, carrying the Roman numeral XX and the numeral 20 respectively. The bank name runs across the top cartouche and the denomination legend appears in a decorative panel below the central vignette, with the printer's imprint reading WATERLOW & SONS LIMITED, LONDRES at the foot. |
| Reverse lettering | BANCO CENTRAL DE GUATEMALA XX 20 VEINTE QUETZALES (Translation: Central Bank of Guatemala 20 Twenty Quetzals) |
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| Comments |
Guatemala's 1945 constitution abolished the Caja Reguladora and reestablished the Banco de Guatemala as the sole bank of issue — this note belongs to the transitional provisional series printed while the new institution was still consolidating its legal and operational framework. Waterlow & Sons produced the sheets in London, but the "provisional" designation reflects domestic administrative status, not anything provisional about the printing.
P#22 is considerably scarcer than the lower denominations in the same series. The 20-quetzal face value was high enough that most examples saw limited street circulation and were used primarily in commercial transactions, which ironically reduced survival rates through institutional handling rather than wear.