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40 Centésimos Fuertes
| Issuer | Banco de la Provincia de Buenos Aires |
|---|---|
| Year | 1869 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 40 Centésimos Fuertes |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Black intaglio on white cotton paper, with the bank title 'EL BANCO DE LA PROVINCIA DE BUENOS AYRES' arching across the top and a central vignette of a young woman in three-quarter bust view, framed by fine guilloche work. Two large circular medallions to either side of the central vignette each carry the denomination numeral '0.40' in bold relief. The lower portion bears the pledge text 'Cuarenta Centésimos Fuertes en moneda de oro de curso legal' along with two manuscript signatures identified as Inspector and Presidente, and a manuscript date '1° Enero de 1869'. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Printed entirely in blue, with a central oval intaglio vignette of a steamship under sail in rough seas, surrounded by intricate guilloche work. Four corner medallions each carry the denomination '0.40' within guilloche rosettes, flanked by the word 'FUERTES', while the legend 'CUARENTA CENTESIMOS' arches across a central banner. The printer's imprint 'American Bank Note Co. New York' appears in small lettering, and a sawtooth border frames the entire design. |
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| Comments |
The Banco de la Província de Buenos Ayres occupied a peculiar position in Argentine monetary history — it was technically a provincial institution, but for much of the mid-nineteenth century it functioned as the dominant currency-issuing body in the region, with its notes circulating far beyond provincial borders. The "fuertes" denomination system distinguished these issues from the heavily inflated paper pesos moneda corriente then flooding the market; one fuerte was nominally equivalent to twenty-five pesos corrientes.
The American Bank Note Company had been printing for Buenos Aires since the early 1860s, and by 1869 the relationship was well established. ABNC's New York workshops handled the intaglio work; the notes were then shipped south for issue.