Catalog
50 Pesos
| Issuer | Banco Nacional |
|---|---|
| Year | 1826 |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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| Obverse description | Typeset note in a horizontal format with ornate calligraphic lettering throughout. The central text reads the promise-to-pay clause in Spanish, with the denomination 'Cincuenta Pesos' rendered in large script. Two rectangular vignettes in the upper right and lower left corners each bear the numeral '50', flanking a small Argentine coat of arms at centre; the note is signed below by the Contador and Presidente, with the place and date inscribed as 'Buenos Ayres'. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Banco Nacional Promete pagar al portador y a la Vista la Cantidad de Cincuenta Pesos en moneda metalica Buenos Ayres Por los Directores y Accionistas. CONTADOR PRESIDENTE |
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| Comments |
Banco Nacional was Argentina's first formal banking institution, established in 1826 under the Rivadavia administration with British capital and a mandate to stabilize a currency system already badly strained by post-independence debt. This note predates the catastrophic bank run of 1826–1828 that ultimately forced the institution's liquidation — surviving examples from the early emission period are correspondingly rare.
Printed locally in Buenos Aires rather than sent to Europe for production, the execution reflects the limitations of what porteño presses could manage at the time. The Banco Nacional closed in 1836, and much of its remaining paper was redeemed or destroyed under the subsequent Rosas-era monetary arrangements.