Catalog
20 Sucres Banco Suramericano
| Issuer | Banco Sur Americano |
|---|---|
| Year | 1920 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | XX Quito, 2 DE ENERO DE 1920 El Banco Sur Americano PAGARÁ A LA VISTA AL PORTADOR VEINTE 20 SUCRES (Translation: XX (20) Quito, January 2nd., 1920 The South American Bank will pay at sight to the bearer twenty 20 Sucres) |
| Reverse description | A central vignette portrays the arrival of Christopher Columbus in the Americas, rendered in a classical engraved style. The composition occupies the full central field of the note with no additional text or lettering. |
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| Comments |
Banco Sur Americano was one of several private commercial banks operating in Ecuador during the period of free banking that preceded the 1927 Kemmerer Mission reforms, which abolished private note issuance and established the Banco Central del Ecuador. This 20 Sucres note dates from that final window of legitimate private circulation — within a decade, notes like this would be legally demonetized.
Pick S253 falls in the private bank series, where survival rates are uneven. Provincial bank issues from this period were often redeemed and incinerated once the central bank monopoly took hold.