Catalog
400 Soles
| Issuer | Banco de Lima |
|---|---|
| Year | 1875 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Sol (1863-1985) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Yellow-green and black note with a central vignette of a sailing and steam vessel fleet in a harbor, flanked by two allegorical female figures: a seated woman at lower left and a reclining figure at lower right holding a document. The denomination '400' appears in ornate circular rosette cartouches at each upper corner, with the issuing bank's name in bold Gothic lettering across the centre. A green guilloche underprint seal appears at the lower centre, with manuscript signatures and serial number in red ink. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | EL BANCO DE LIMA Pagará á la vista al portador CUATROCIENTOS SOLES en moneda corriente LIMA |
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| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
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| Comments |
The Banco de Lima was one of several private commercial banks that emerged in Peru during the guano boom years, when Lima briefly had more banking activity than almost anywhere else in South America. By 1875, that boom was already collapsing. The bank itself would not survive the decade — the War of the Pacific and the broader financial crisis of the late 1870s wiped out most of Peru's private banking sector entirely.
The 400 soles denomination is an awkward, non-standard unit that suggests this note was issued for specific large commercial transactions rather than general retail use. ABNC's involvement is unsurprising for the period; Lima's private banks routinely contracted New York security printers.