Catalog
5 Soles
| Issuer | Banco de Tacna |
|---|---|
| Year | |
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| Reference(s) | P#384 |
| Obverse description | The obverse presents a classical allegorical female figure in robes standing at left, holding sheaves of grain, with the numeral '3' beside her in the left panel. At centre, a pastoral vignette shows cattle and figures before a rural dwelling with a snow-capped mountain in the background. A large guilloché-bordered numeral '5' medallion occupies the right panel, with the serial number printed twice. The bank title 'EL BANCO DE TACNA' and the payable clause 'pagará al portador a la vista CINCO SOLES en moneda corriente' appear in bold lettering across the centre, with signature lines for Director-Gerente and Contador below. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse is printed in a single green tone and divided into three panels by elaborate guilloché lathe-work borders. The left and right panels each bear a large ornate numeral '5', while the central panel contains the bank name 'EL BANCO DE TACNA' set within an oval cartouche of foliate scrollwork. A small inscription in fine letterpress runs along the bottom margin, referencing the printing authority. |
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| Comments |
The Banco de Tacna occupied an unusual position in South American banking history. Tacna was a contested territory between Peru and Chile following the War of the Pacific (1879–1884), and the city remained under Chilean administration until 1929 — meaning this bank operated in a zone of disputed sovereignty for much of its existence. Notes issued by Tacna-based institutions during the Chilean occupation period circulated alongside Chilean currency in a region whose ultimate national allegiance was still legally unresolved.
ABNC supplied the plates, as they did for the overwhelming majority of Latin American private banks of this period. The Pick reference places this in the Peruvian section, which itself reflects the political outcome rather than the note's operational reality.