Catalog
| Issuer | Banco de Lima |
|---|---|
| Year | 1871 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | The obverse carries a classical allegorical female figure at left, standing and holding a staff, with the serial number printed vertically along the left margin. To the right, a detailed intaglio vignette presents a steamship at sea. The centre bears a circular guilloche underprint with the denomination 'OCHENTA SOLES' in bold lettering, overlaid with the bank title 'EL BANCO DE LIMA' across the upper portion and the denomination numeral '80' within an ornate lathe-work panel at upper right. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | EL BANCO DE LIMA pagará á la vista OCHENTA SOLES 80 |
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| Comments |
The Banco de Lima was one of several private commercial banks that emerged in Peru during the early 1870s credit boom, fueled largely by guano revenue and foreign capital flowing into Lima. The bank's lifespan was short — the financial crisis of 1872–1873 and the subsequent collapse of Peru's guano-backed credit system destabilized most private note-issuing institutions within years of their founding.
The 80 soles denomination is an oddity. It appears nowhere in the logic of a standard decimal ladder and almost certainly reflects a specific commercial or exchange convention of the period rather than routine retail banking practice. ABNC's contract work for Peruvian private banks in this era was prolific, with several institutions sharing plate formats across different denominations.