Catalog
40 Centavos
| Issuer | Banco Nacional del Perú |
|---|---|
| Year | 1873 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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|---|---|
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| 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. |
| Reverse lettering | EL BANCO NACIONAL DEL PERÚ 40 CENTAVOS American Bank Note Co. New-York |
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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.