Catalog
500 Pesos Oro
| Issuer | Banco de la República |
|---|---|
| Year | 1981-1986 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Composition | 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 | The reverse presents a central intaglio vignette of colonial Bogotá, with a screw coinage press rendered in detail at the lower right. The denomination numeral '500' appears in guilloche numerals at the upper left and lower right corners, while 'EL BANCO DE LA REPUBLICA' runs along the top and 'COLOMBIA' is inscribed below the central vignette, all executed in deep rose-brown tones over a fine-line guilloche underprint. |
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| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
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| Protection description | Watermark portrait of General Francisco de Paula Santander in profile, visible when held to light. |
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| Comments |
The 500 Pesos Oro denomination was introduced during a period when Colombia's central bank was actively rationalizing its note series, and Thomas De La Rue's London facilities handled the bulk of high-value Colombian production through this stretch. What distinguishes P#423 across its run is the signature combination instability — three known signatories across just five years, with at least two "Unknown" secondary positions still unconfirmed in the literature, making signature attribution a genuine cataloging problem rather than a minor footnote.
The watermark remains the sole listed security feature, modest even by early 1980s standards. Colombian notes of this period were already contending with sophisticated counterfeiting pressure tied to narco-economy cash flows, which would soon push Banco de la República toward more complex security specifications in successor issues.