Catalog
4 Soles
| Issuer | Banco La Providencia |
|---|---|
| Year | 1875 |
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| Currency | Sol (1863-1985) |
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| Obverse description | The obverse is laid out in a classic intaglio style with the bank title "EL BANCO LA PROVIDENCIA" arched across the upper centre, above "LIMA" and a cursive vignette panel inscribed "CUATRO SOLES" with "EN MONEDA CORRIENTE" below. To the left, a standing allegorical female figure accompanied by a child is set within a fine guilloche border, while a caduceus-and-serpent vignette occupies the right panel. Large numeral "4" denominators appear at each upper corner, with the word "CUATRO" in bold letterpress along the bottom border, and a red serial number printed to the upper right. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | EL BANCO LA PROVIDENCIA LIMA CUATRO SOLES EN MONEDA CORRIENTE PERU CUATRO DIRECTOR GERENCE 4 |
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| Comments |
Banco La Providencia was a short-lived Peruvian private bank, operating during the brief free-banking period that Lima's government permitted before the catastrophic War of the Pacific reshaped the country's entire financial infrastructure. The American Bank Note Company produced notes for dozens of Latin American issuers during this period, often supplying generic frames with customized text — the plates for minor Peruvian banks rarely received the full bespoke treatment reserved for sovereign accounts.
The denomination itself is the curiosity here. Four soles sits at an awkward interval, suggesting this note was designed to fill a specific transactional gap in local commerce rather than slot into a conventional series.