Catalog
50 Centavos
| Issuer | Banco del Departamento de Bolívar |
|---|---|
| Year | 1888 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 50 Centavos |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
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| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Printed in orange-red on white paper with guilloche underprint. Numeral 50 counters at left and right within ornate lobed frames. A bold black overprint reads "Decreto No. 121 de 1895" with the legend "EL CAJERO" and a manuscript signature below. Lower cartouche carries the denomination "CENTAVOS". |
| Reverse lettering | CINCUENTA Decreto No. 121 de 1895 EL CAJERO CENTAVOS |
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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.