Catalog
5 Pesos
| Issuer | Provincia de Catamarca |
|---|---|
| Year | 2001 |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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| Obverse description | The obverse carries a central oval vignette of a large neoclassical public building, framed by fine guilloche borders in green tones. At upper left appears a small ornamental emblem, while the upper portion bears the bold inscription PROVINCIA DE CATAMARCA followed by the legend RECONOCERA POR ESTE / TITULO PUBLICO / AL PORTADOR / LEY 4748. At lower right the large numeral 5 is printed in green, with the series and serial number appearing in the centre-right field above the facsimile signatures of the Minister of Finance and the Governor. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse is printed predominantly in green and presents the full text of Ley 4748 in multiple articles, authorising the Provincial Executive to issue up to ninety million pesos in public bearer bonds. A guilloche underprint fills the background, and the provincial coat of arms of Catamarca appears in the lower right corner. The heading LEY N° 4748 is centred at the top of the note. |
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| Comments |
Argentina's provincial quasi-currencies of the early 2000s are collectively called "patacones" in casual usage, but that term strictly belongs to Buenos Aires province. Catamarca's issues were formally styled "Letras de Cancelación de Deudas" — debt-cancellation instruments, not banknotes in any traditional sense. They emerged from the fiscal stranglehold of the 2001 convertibility crisis, when provinces lacked sufficient pesos to pay public employees and suppliers and turned to scrip as a stopgap.
Catamarca was among the smaller and more economically dependent provinces, and its issues circulated in a narrow local economy. Redemption was uneven across the series.