Catalog
50 Lempiras
| Issuer | Banco Central de Honduras |
|---|---|
| Year | 1956 |
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| Composition | Paper |
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| Obverse description | Blue on yellow and multicolour underprint. Intaglio portrait of Dr. José Trinidad Reyes as a vignette to the left, with the Honduran coat of arms to the right. Guilloche patterns form the decorative underprint across the face of the note. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | REPÚBLICA DE HONDURAS EL BANCO CENTRAL DE HONDURAS PAGARÁ AL PORTADOR A SU PRESENTACIÓN 50 CINCUENTA LEMPIRAS 20 de enero de 1956 THOMAS DE LA RUE & CO. LTD (Translation: Republic of Honduras The Central Bank of Honduras Will pay the Bearer on presentation 50 Fifty Lempiras January 20th., 1956) |
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| Comments |
Honduras introduced the Lempira as its national currency in 1931, named after the sixteenth-century Lenca chieftain who resisted Spanish conquest — an unusual choice for a country whose monetary system was simultaneously being restructured under heavy United States banking influence. The Banco Central itself had only been established in 1950, making this a relatively early issue from a young institution still consolidating its note series.
De La Rue's involvement here is unsurprising; they held printing contracts across much of Central America during this period. P#54 is scarce in higher grades, as the 50 Lempira denomination saw genuine commercial use rather than sitting idle in reserves.