Catalog
4 Venezolanos
| Issuer | Estado de Guayana |
|---|---|
| Year | 1878 |
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| Currency | Venezolano (1872-1879) |
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| Obverse description | The obverse is laid out in a letterpress and intaglio style typical of 19th-century Venezuelan provincial issues. At upper left, the word 'CUATRO' appears in a black panel, while the numeral '4' is placed at upper right; the issuer title 'ESTADO DE GUAYANA' runs across the top in bold serif lettering. The left field carries the state coat of arms with a sailing ship and pomegranates, while the right field shows a standing allegorical female figure beside a column, and the central body of the note bears the handwritten obligation text 'Vale por Cuatro Venezolanos, amortizable en el veinte por ciento de los ingresos ordinarios del Tesoro del Estado' above the place of issue 'Cd. Bolívar', with spaces for serial number and series, and signature lines for 'EL PRESIDENTE' and 'EL TESORERO' at the lower edge. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | ESTADO DE GUAYANA CUATRO 4 No. Serie Vale por Cuatro Venezolanos, amortizable en el veinte por ciento de los ingresos ordinarios del Tesoro del Estado. Cd. Bolívar EL PRESIDENTE EL TESORERO |
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| Comments |
The Estado de Guayana was one of several Venezuelan regional states that retained quasi-autonomous fiscal powers during the federal period following the Federal War. This 4 Venezolanos denomination is an oddity — the Venezolano as a monetary unit was introduced by decree in 1871, pegged at par with the French franc, but its adoption was uneven and short-lived; by 1879 Venezuela was already transitioning toward the Bolívar system under Guzmán Blanco's monetary reforms.
A regionally issued note in this denomination from 1878 places it almost exactly at that inflection point — the unit it names was already being phased out of national policy when this was printed.