Catalog
50 Centavos
| Issuer | Banco Nacional de la República de Colombia |
|---|---|
| Year | 1886 |
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| Composition | Paper |
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|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse is printed in dark ink and centered on a large ornate guilloche composition surrounding a bold numeral 50, flanked by intricate lathe-work scroll borders. The inscription CINCUENTA CENTAVOS runs across the upper portion, with the denomination numerals repeated in the side panels within elaborate engine-turned frames. |
| Reverse lettering | CINCUENTA CENTAVOS 50 |
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| Comments |
The Banco Nacional de la República de Colombia was established by law in 1880 as a state bank with monopoly privileges over note issuance — a direct move to consolidate currency control away from the proliferating private banks that had dominated Colombian finance since the 1860s. This 50 centavos fractional note belongs to the bank's earliest emission period, when small-denomination paper was being pushed into circulation to address a chronic shortage of coin.
Colombian fractional notes of this period suffer heavily from paper brittleness along fold lines — a known issue tied to the lightweight stock used for low-value denominations, which were handled far more than larger notes and rarely set aside.