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50 Centavos
| Issuer | Banco del Departamento de Bolívar |
|---|---|
| Year | 1888 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | Dark brown intaglio print on white paper. Central oval vignette shows a street scene with figures at a fountain, flanked by two large numeral 50 counters within ornate guilloche frames. Bank title scroll across upper field reads "El Banco Del Departamento de Bolívar"; date "Marzo 1° de 1888" and place "Cartagena" appear in lower corners with manuscript signature lines. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | CINCUENTA CENTAVOS El Banco Del Departamento de Bolívar PAGARA AL PORTADOR A LA VISTA CINCUENTA CENTAVOS DE PESO EN MONEDA CORRIENTE Cartagena Marzo 1° de 1888 EL GERENTE EL CAJERO HAMILTON BANK NOTE ENG. & PTG. CO. NEW YORK |
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| Comments |
The Banco del Departamento de Bolívar was one of several regional Colombian banks that flourished briefly under the 1880 banking law, which permitted departmental banks to issue their own notes — a decentralized arrangement that lasted until the Banco de la República's eventual consolidation of currency authority. Hamilton Bank Note Engraving & Printing Co. in New York handled a considerable volume of Latin American fractional currency during this period, competing directly with the American Bank Note Company for the same contracts.
Fractional notes from Colombian departmental banks of this period suffer disproportionate attrition — small denominations circulated hard and were rarely preserved.