Catalog
50 Pesos
| Issuer | Banco Nacional de la República de Colombia |
|---|---|
| Year | 1888 |
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| Reference(s) | P#217 |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse is printed in blue and composed entirely of intricate geometric guilloche patterns arranged symmetrically around a central rectangular panel, which contains a blank space framed by fine lathe-work. Large numeral 50 medallions appear within circular guilloche rosettes at the left and right. The legend BANCO at the top center and NACIONAL REPÚBLICA COLOMBIA along the lower margin are the sole textual elements on an otherwise entirely ornamental design. |
| Reverse lettering | BANCO NACIONAL REPÚBLICA COLOMBIA 50 |
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| Comments |
The Banco Nacional de la República de Colombia was a state-owned institution established in 1880 under President Rafael Núñez, explicitly to wrest monetary control away from the private banks that had dominated Colombian finance since the 1860s. Its creation was contested from the start — private bankers lobbied hard against it, and several regional banks continued issuing competing notes well into the decade.
American Bank Note Company printed the series in New York, a standard arrangement for Latin American governments that lacked domestic intaglio facilities capable of producing secure currency. The 1888 dating places this note squarely in the period before Colombia's catastrophic 1885–1886 currency inflation, after which public trust in Banco Nacional paper collapsed almost entirely and forced a series of emission reforms.