Catalog
½ Libra Peruana de Oro
| Issuer | Revolutionary Government of Peru |
|---|---|
| Year | 1921 |
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| Value | ½ Libra Peruana de Oro |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Printed in dark blue on white paper with a bold guilloche border and ornamental floral vignettes at each corner. The Peruvian national coat of arms is centrally placed within a large circular guilloche surround, flanked by two smaller circular medallions each bearing the fraction '½'. The denomination legend 'MEDIA LIBRA PERUANA DE ORO' is inscribed within a rectangular panel at the base, with 'CHEQUE PROVISIONAL' and 'PERU' arching above the central arms. |
| Reverse lettering | CHEQUE PROVISIONAL PERU MEDIA LIBRA PERUANA DE ORO ½ |
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| Comments |
The Peruana de Oro fractional issues of the early 1920s emerged from a period of monetary fragmentation in Peru, when the gold libra — pegged to the British sovereign — coexisted awkwardly with depreciating sol-denominated paper. The ½ libra denomination was something of an oddity: too large for petty transactions, too small to function comfortably alongside the full libra in commercial settlements.
The "Revolutionary Government" attribution on P#605 places this note within the brief administration following the 1919 coup that brought Augusto Leguía to power — technically unconstitutional, hence the issuing authority designation rather than a standard republican title.