Catalog
5 Bolivianos
| Issuer | Banco Francisco Argandoña |
|---|---|
| Year | 1893 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | Oval intaglio portrait of a mustachioed gentleman at left, with a winged allegorical female figure at centre amid radiating guilloche sunburst. The Bolivian coat of arms appears at upper centre, with large numeral 5 at right. Printed in red and black. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Central vignette of a grand palatial building with towers set in landscaped grounds, engraved in intaglio. Large ornate numeral 5 guilloche medallions flank the central scene at left and right. Intricate lathe-work border frames the entire composition in brown. |
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| Comments |
Banco Francisco Argandoña was one of the short-lived provincial banks that briefly flourished under Bolivia's 1890 banking law, which allowed private institutions to issue their own currency. The arrangement collapsed within a decade — the Banco de la Nación Boliviana's 1911 consolidation effectively ended the concession-bank era, and notes from these smaller issuers were withdrawn and largely destroyed.
Bradbury, Wilkinson's engraved work for South American clients in this period was technically accomplished and consistent across many commissions, making their output recognizable to specialists even without the printer's imprint.