Catalog
| Issuer | Banco del Departamento de Bolívar |
|---|---|
| Year | 1888 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
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| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
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| Reference(s) | P#S421 |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| 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 |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| 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.