Catalog
50 Pesos Banco de D.Matte y Ca.
| Issuer | Banco de D. Matte y Ca. |
|---|---|
| Year | 1888 |
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| Composition | Paper |
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|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | 50 CINCUENTA PESOS BANCO DE D.MATTE Y Ca. PAGARÁ AL PORTADOR Á LA VISTA EN SANTIAGO CINCUENTA PESOS EN MONEDA CORRIENTE SUPERINTENDENTE DE LA CASA DE MONEDA American Bank Note Co. N.Y. (Translation: Fifty pesos. Bank of D.Matte & Co. will pay to bearer at sight in Santiago fifty pesos in current currency. Superintendent of the Mint.) |
| Reverse description | Entirely engraved in green, the reverse is dominated by an elaborate guilloche lattice surrounding a large bold denomination numeral "50" at centre. The bank name is split across the top and bottom of the central medallion, with denomination counters in ornate cartouches at left and right. Printer's imprint appears at the foot. |
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| Comments |
Banco de D. Matte y Ca. was one of several Chilean private banks operating under the 1860 Ley de Bancos, which permitted note issuance against a metallic reserve. The Matte family's institution was headquartered in Santiago and operated for a relatively brief window before Chile's 1898 banking consolidation effectively ended private note issue in favor of state-controlled currency. This note was printed by ABNC in New York — routine for South American private banks of the period, who favored American and British security printers over domestic options.
The 1880s were turbulent years for Chilean banking, with the War of the Pacific straining reserves and inflating circulation well beyond what the metal backing could support.