Catalog
½ Sol
| Issuer | Banco del Valle de Chicama |
|---|---|
| Year | 1873 |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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| Obverse description | The obverse is dominated by the bold diagonal inscription BANCO DEL VALLE DE CHICAMA in large letters across the centre, with a central vignette of a kneeling figure beside a bale or crate. Circular guilloche medallions bearing the fraction '½ SOL' appear in each corner, flanked by vertical CINCUENTA repeating panel borders along the sides. The lower margin carries the imprint of the American Bank Note Co., New York, and the denomination is restated in full as CINCUENTA CENTAVOS DE SOL in a bold letterpress band. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | BANCO DEL VALLE DE CHICAMA CINCUENTA CENTAVOS DE SOL Pagará a la vista al portador EN MONEDA CORRIENTE DIRECTORES American Bank Note Co. New York CINCUENTA ½ SOL |
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| Comments |
The Banco del Valle de Chicama was a private regional bank operating out of the sugar-producing north coast of Peru, centered on the Chicama Valley — one of the most productive agricultural zones in nineteenth-century South America. Private bank note issuance in Peru during the early 1870s was briefly legal and competitive, but the War of the Pacific and subsequent financial chaos effectively ended most of these institutions within a decade.
The American Bank Note Company contract for such a small regional issuer is worth noting. ABNC handled an enormous volume of Latin American commissions during this period, and half-sol fractional notes were not their typical prestige work — but the engraving quality was consistent regardless of denomination.