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4000 Reales de Vellón Banco de Bilbao
| Issuer | Banco de Bilbao |
|---|---|
| Year | 1857 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 4000 Reales Vellon |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Central allegorical vignette of a seated female figure holding a caduceus and cornucopia, with a shield and anchor at her side and a sailing vessel in the background; lateral panels carry industrial vignettes emblematic of Bilbao's commerce and trade. The composition is framed by fine guilloche border work with the denomination numeral repeated at the corners. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse lettering | 4000 CUATROMIL·CUATROMIL·CUATROMIL·CUATROMIL·CUATROMIL·CUATROMIL·CUATROMIL·CUATROMIL |
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| Comments |
The Banco de Bilbao was established in 1857 — the same year this note was issued — making this among the earliest paper obligations the bank ever produced. Spanish provincial banks of this period operated under the 1856 banking law reform, which briefly permitted regional banks to issue their own notes before the Banco de España ultimately absorbed or suppressed most of them in the 1870s and 1880s. Bilbao's industrial wealth, rooted in iron and trade through the port, gave its bank unusual staying power compared to many provincial peers.
The 4,000 reales de vellón denomination placed this firmly in the merchant and commercial tier — not everyday currency.