Catalog
5 Pesos
| Issuer | Tesorería Nacional de Guatemala |
|---|---|
| Year | 1882 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | The obverse is printed in black intaglio on a light orange-brown underprint, with a central vignette of a steam locomotive travelling at speed set within an ornate frame, flanked by the vertical inscription LA TESORERIA NACIONAL on the left border. To the right, a circular vignette contains the Guatemalan quetzal bird perched on a shield, with the denomination numeral 5 in the upper corners. The lower portion carries the payable clause and the imprint of the American Bank Note Co., New York. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | LA TESORERIA NACIONAL DE GUATEMALA PAGARÁ A LA VISTA AL PORTADOR Cinco Pesos EL SECRETARIO DE HACIENDA Y CREDITO PUBLICO TESORERA NACIONAL American Bank Note Co. New York |
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| Comments |
Guatemala's Tesorería Nacional — the national treasury, not a central bank — issued paper money directly in this period, an arrangement that reflected the country's underdeveloped financial infrastructure rather than any formal monetary policy. The American Bank Note Company held a near-monopoly on Latin American government securities printing through the late nineteenth century, and Guatemalan notes of this era were produced in New York and shipped south, sometimes months before their official issue dates.
The 1882 series predates the establishment of the Banco de Guatemala by decades. Peg instability against silver and the early tremors of the coffee-boom economy made these treasury notes functionally unreliable almost from issue.