Catalog
5 Pesos
| Issuer | Banco de Occidente |
|---|---|
| Year | 1890-1919 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 5 Pesos |
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| 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 |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Printed in dark brown and black, the reverse is dominated by an elaborate guilloche pattern covering the entire field, with a large central rosette of fine lathe-work flanked symmetrically by two mirror-image vignettes of quetzal birds with spread wings resting on crossed branches. The bank name BANCO DE OCCIDENTE and EN QUEZALTENANGO are inscribed within the central guilloche band, while denomination numerals 5 occupy each corner within ornamental frames. A fine geometric border encloses the complete design. |
| Reverse lettering | BANCO DE OCCIDENTE EN QUEZALTENANGO 5 AMERICAN BANK NOTE COMPANY NEW YORK |
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| Comments |
Banco de Occidente was a regional Colombian issuing bank operating out of Cali, one of several private banks authorized to circulate notes under Colombia's free banking period — a monetary arrangement that lasted, chaotically, from the 1870s until the government finally suppressed private emission in 1923. The American Bank Note Company's involvement was common for Latin American issuers of this era seeking engraved intaglio work that domestic printers couldn't match, and the ABNC plates were sometimes retained and reused across multiple date ranges, which explains the wide 1890–1919 window.
Notes from Occidente are considerably scarcer than those from the larger Bogotá-based banks.