Catalog
50 Bolivianos
| Issuer | Banco Francisco Argandoña |
|---|---|
| Year | 1893 |
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| Currency | First boliviano (1864-1963) |
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| Obverse description | Black intaglio on white paper; the bank title EL BANCO FRANCISCO ARGANDOÑA in bold letterpress across the centre, with the Bolivian coat of arms at top and an oval portrait vignette of a gentleman at right. A winged putto flanks the right margin, while ornate guilloche panels bearing the numeral 50 occupy the left and lower borders. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Printed in orange-brown; a central oval vignette shows a rural pastoral scene with cattle and figures beneath trees, surrounded by intricate guilloche scrollwork. Large numerals 50 appear at left and right, with the issuer name FRANCISCO ARGANDOÑA across the top and BOLIVIA in bold letterpress at the base. |
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| Comments |
Banco Francisco Argandoña was a private commercial bank operating out of La Paz, one of several Bolivian departmental banks that issued their own notes during the country's fragmented banking era before the 1890 Ley de Bancos and subsequent consolidation pressure brought tighter state oversight. The bank was closely tied to the Argandoña family, a prominent La Paz mercantile dynasty. Bradbury Wilkinson's involvement is unsurprising — the London firm was the printer of choice for numerous South American private banks that wanted engraved notes credible enough to circulate alongside foreign coin.
Bolivia's private banking notes from this period were frequently refused outside their issuing department, which kept many notes close to home and, paradoxically, kept survival rates low.