50 Pesos Fuertes

Banco de Cuyo was one of several provincial Argentine banks authorized to issue currency under the 1854 banking law, which allowed individual provinces to charter their own institutions before a unified national currency system existed. The Cuyo region — anchored by San Juan and Mendoza — operated economically at some remove from Buenos Aires, and its local notes circulated within a tight geographic corridor rather than across the republic.

Printing in San Juan itself, rather than contracting a European or Buenos Aires firm, was unusual for the period and likely reflects both logistical necessity and provincial pride. Notes printed locally tend to show cruder typography and less refined intaglio work than contemporaries produced by Bradbury Wilkinson or similar houses.

PS#1643 is a scarce reference — Cuyo's banking operation was short-lived.