Catalog
50 Centésimos
| Issuer | Estado de Guayana |
|---|---|
| Year | 1878 |
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| Composition | Paper |
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| Obverse description | The obverse bears the bold central inscription ESTADO DE GUAYANA with the denomination CINCUENTA CENTÉSIMOS in a cartouche at upper left and the numeral 50 at upper right within an ornate guilloche frame. To the left, the coat of arms of Guayana is displayed within a heraldic shield surmounted by a helmeted bust, while to the right a classical allegorical female figure stands alongside a male figure. The lower portion carries a text clause stating the note is redeemable against ordinary revenues of the State Treasury at Cd. Bolívar, with printed spaces for Número and Serie, and signature lines for El Presidente and El Tesorero. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | ESTADO DE GUAYANA CINCUENTA CENTÉSIMOS 50 Nº SERIE Vale por CINCUENTA CENTÉSIMOS amortizable con el veinte por ciento de los ingresos ordinarios del Tesoro del Estado Cd. Bolívar El Presidente. El Tesorero. |
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| Comments |
Estado de Guayana was one of several Venezuelan regional states that issued its own paper currency during the federal period, before the centralizing reforms of the Guzmán Blanco administration consolidated monetary authority in Caracas. This 50 Centésimos note from 1878 falls squarely in that contested window — regional governments were still asserting fiscal independence even as federal pressure mounted.
Pick 341 is among the rarer surviving pieces from Venezuelan provincial issues of this decade. The issuing authority had no dedicated printing infrastructure, and notes of this type were almost certainly produced in small quantities with limited distribution, which accounts for their scarcity in collections today.