Catalog
200 Soles = 250 Pesos
| Issuer | La Providencia - Sociedad General del Perú |
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| Year | 1864 |
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| Currency | Sol (1863-1985) |
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| Obverse description | The obverse bears the bank title 'La Providencia / Sociedad General del Perú' in ornate script at the top centre. To the upper left, a standing classical female figure with allegorical attributes forms the main vignette, while two oval guilloche medallions bearing the numeral '200' are positioned in the upper right and lower left corners. A caduceus vignette occupies the lower right, and a central guilloche underprint in terracotta tones carries the denomination 'Doscientos Soles' in bold letterpress, with the promise-to-pay text and date 'Lima, 30 de Junio 1864' inscribed below. |
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| Obverse lettering | La Providencia Sociedad General del Perú La Administración General pagará a la vista al portador Doscientos Soles 1864 el 30 de Junio, Lima 30 de Junio 1864 El Tesorero El Presidente El Director General 200 |
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| Comments |
La Providencia was one of several Lima-based commercial banks that began issuing private banknotes in the early 1860s, a period when Peru lacked a central bank and note-issuing rights were effectively open to any sufficiently capitalized institution. The dual denomination — soles on one side, pesos on the other — reflects the transitional monetary moment: the sol had only been introduced as Peru's decimal unit in 1863, replacing the old peso system, and issuers were hedging against public resistance to the new currency by honoring both valuations on a single note.
Printing locally in Lima rather than contracting a European security printer was unusual for the period and likely kept costs down, though it also meant less sophisticated anti-counterfeiting work than contemporaries produced by Bradbury Wilkinson or similar firms.