Catalog
20 Soles
| Issuer | República del Perú |
|---|---|
| Year | 1879 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | LA REPÚBLICA DEL PERÚ PAGARÁ AL PORTADOR VEINTE SOLES CONFORME A LO LEYES DE 22 DE ENERO POR LA JUNTA DE VIGILANCIA DE DISPUESTA EN LAS LEYES DE 1 DE FEBRERO DE 1879 ADMINISTRADORA LA EMISIÓN FISCAL LIMA JUNIO 30 DE 1879 AMERICAN BANK NOTE CO. N.Y. |
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| Reverse lettering | REPÚBLICA DEL PERÚ VEINTE SOLES 20 XX AMERICAN BANK NOTE COMPANY, NEW YORK |
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| Comments |
Peru's 1879 issue arrived at the worst possible moment — the country entered the War of the Pacific against Chile and Bolivia that same year, and the financial strain of that conflict would eventually collapse the sol entirely. The American Bank Note Company had been supplying Peruvian currency since the early 1870s, and this note belongs to a short-lived series whose circulation was overtaken by emergency fiscal paper and, ultimately, military defeat.
By 1881, Chilean forces occupied Lima. Much of the currency infrastructure was disrupted, and redemption of pre-war notes became effectively impossible for most holders.