The Banco Nacional del Perú was founded in 1872 with significant backing from foreign capital, operating during a period when Peru's guano revenues were declining and the country was increasingly reliant on nitrate concessions to service its foreign debt. This note predates the catastrophic War of the Pacific by just two years — a conflict that would destroy the bank entirely and render its entire note issue worthless by the early 1880s.
The ABNC plate work for this series is among the finer commercial engraving produced for Peruvian issuers of the period. Drayton's signature as co-signatory reflects his role as the bank's representative rather than any printing function.
The Banco Nacional del Perú was founded in 1872 with significant backing from foreign capital, operating during a period when Peru's guano revenues were declining and the country was increasingly reliant on nitrate concessions to service its foreign debt. This note predates the catastrophic War of the Pacific by just two years — a conflict that would destroy the bank entirely and render its entire note issue worthless by the early 1880s.
The ABNC plate work for this series is among the finer commercial engraving produced for Peruvian issuers of the period. Drayton's signature as co-signatory reflects his role as the bank's representative rather than any printing function.