Catalog
500 Pesos
| Issuer | El Gobierno Nacional, Confederación Argentina |
|---|---|
| Year | 1859 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 500 Pesos |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Typeset letterpress issue of the Confederación Argentina, dated Paraná, 25 de Mayo de 1859, with the bold heading 'EL GOBIERNO NACIONAL' centred within a ruled border frame with ornamental corner devices. The denomination '500$' appears at upper left and upper right, beneath which the body text sets forth the promise to pay against customs duties on imports and exports. Three manuscript signature lines at the foot correspond to El Ministro de Hacienda, El Contador, and El Tesorero, with a handwritten serial number and an oval Hacienda cancel stamp at upper right. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse presents unprinted plain paper stock with no independent vignette, underprint, or typeset design; faint show-through of the obverse letterpress impression is visible, and manuscript endorsements or notations in ink appear across the surface along with a faint impression of the Hacienda cancel. |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | Log in to see details |
| Variants | Log in to see details |
| Comments |
The Confederación Argentina was the rump state that controlled the interior provinces after Buenos Aires seceded in 1852 following Urquiza's defeat of Rosas at Caseros. Paraná served as the Confederation's capital, and notes printed there were the financial instruments of a government perpetually short of revenue, fighting a losing economic war against the commercially dominant Buenos Aires province. This 500 Pesos denomination was the high end of an emission backed by little more than political determination.
Local printing in Paraná, rather than contracting a European security printer, was a fiscal and logistical necessity. The quality reflects it. The Confederation itself ceased to exist after Buenos Aires defeated Urquiza at Pavón in September 1861, making the entire PS#206 series effectively worthless within two years of issue.