Catalog
40 Centavos
| Issuer | Banco Nacional del Perú |
|---|---|
| Year | 1873 |
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| Value | 40 Centavos |
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| Obverse description | Dark intaglio-printed note with a central oval vignette of an allegorical female figure. The denomination '40' appears in large numeral panels at upper left and upper right, with 'CENTAVOS' inscribed below each. The bank title 'EL BANCO NACIONAL DEL PERÚ' runs in bold lettering across the upper portion, below which the text 'Pagará á la vista al portador' and 'CUARENTA CENTAVOS en moneda corriente' is printed, followed by the place and date 'Lima Enero 1º de 1873'. Two red serial numbers flank the lower central area, with manuscript signatures of the Director and Gerente at bottom. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Printed in blue-green, the reverse is dominated by an elaborate guilloche pattern with three large circular medallions each bearing the numeral '40', the central one overlaid with 'CENTAVOS' in bold lettering. An oval guilloche cartouche at center carries the inscription 'EL BANCO NACIONAL DEL PERÚ' surrounding the central denomination. Fine lathe-work geometric borders frame the entire design, with star ornaments at the corners of the medallions. The printer's imprint 'American Bank Note Co. New-York' appears twice along the lower margin. |
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| Comments |
The Banco Nacional del Perú was founded in 1873 with backing from a consortium of private Lima merchants and enjoyed a remarkably short lifespan — it collapsed in 1877, making this 40 centavos note part of an extremely compressed issue history. The denomination itself is unusual; fractional banknotes in Peru during this period were a direct response to chronic shortages of small silver coinage, not a product of standard banking convention.
ABNC's work for Peruvian issuers in the early 1870s was produced on plates engraved in New York, with sheets shipped south for local signing and issuing. The bank's failure predates the far greater monetary disruption of the War of the Pacific, so this note belongs to an earlier, quieter crisis.