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500 Pesos
| Issuer | Banco Occidental |
|---|---|
| Year | |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Printer | American Bank Note Company |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Printed entirely in blue, the reverse is centred on a large circular medallion carrying the Salvadoran coat of arms within a legend reading 'BANCO OCCIDENTAL / EL SALVADOR', flanked symmetrically on both sides by elaborate guilloche panels in which the numeral '500' appears in bold relief. The entire field is covered with engine-turned latticework and repeating rosette patterns forming the security underprint, and the American Bank Note Company, New York imprint is placed at the bottom centre. |
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| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Guilloche underprint |
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| Comments |
Banco Occidental was one of several Colombian regional banks granted note-issuing authority under the 1880s free banking legislation, operating primarily out of Cali and serving the Cauca Valley trade networks. The American Bank Note Company's involvement was typical for the higher denominations issued by these institutions — the prestige of a New York engraver carried weight with merchant creditors even if the bank's reserves did not always match its paper.
At 500 Pesos, this was not a note that circulated through ordinary commerce. Denominations of this scale moved between merchants, landowners, and the bank itself. Colombia's free banking period collapsed in 1894 when the Banco Nacional reasserted monopoly control, and most regional bank notes were called in — survival rates for high-denomination issues are accordingly low.