Catalog
500 Pesos
| Issuer | Tesorería General de la Unión |
|---|---|
| Year | 1884 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 500 Pesos |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Single-sided libranza printed in red-brown on cream paper, enclosed within a decorative guilloche border of repeated rosette ornaments. The Colombian national arms vignette appears at upper left, flanked by the issuing authority title and the place of issue boxed as 'BOGOTÁ'; a large numeral '500' overprint in bold occupies the centre-right of the note, with the serial number in a rectangular panel. The body of the note carries a lengthy printed text in Spanish addressed to the Administradores de Aduanas y Salinas, with a diagonal 'LIBRANZA DE TESORERÍA' watermark-style overprint running across the face. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | ESTADOS UNIDOS DE COLOMBIA TESORERÍA GENERAL DE LA UNIÓN BOGOTÁ SERIE E de 1884 SEÑORES ADMINISTRADORES DE ADUANAS Y SALINAS: QUIINIENTOS PESOS (500) LIBRANZA EL TESORERO GENERAL LIBRANZA DE TESORERÍA |
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| Comments |
The Tesorería General de la Unión occupied a peculiar role in Colombian monetary history — it was a fiscal agency, not a bank, yet it issued paper currency during a period when the country's banking infrastructure was fragmented across state lines and private concessions. The 1880s emissions were tied directly to chronic government deficits, and 500-peso denominations at this level were not retail money; they moved between merchants, government contractors, and customs houses.
Local Bogotá printing for high-denomination government paper at this date is worth noting — most comparable regional issuers were still dependent on American Bank Note Company or European printers. Whether this reflects nationalist procurement policy or simple expedience is unresolved in the literature.