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1 Centesimo Emergency Postal Script Issues
| Issuer | Correos del Uruguay |
|---|---|
| Year | 1868 |
| Type | Local banknote |
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| Obverse description | An exact facsimile of the contemporary postage stamp is printed at center in black ink, bearing the state arms vignette within the circular legend of the Republic. A handstamp applied in purple or black ink by the issuing postal office records the office name and date of issue, authenticating this emergency fractional currency note for circulation. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | REPUBLICA ORIENTAL DEL URUGUAY 1 CENTESIMO CORREOS (Translation: Oriental Republic of Uruguay 1 Cent Post Service) |
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| Comments |
In the late 1860s, Uruguay faced a severe shortage of small-denomination coins, a problem common across much of Latin America as metallic currency drained out of circulation through hoarding and export. The postal authority stepped in as an improvised solution, issuing adhesive postage stamp-like scrips for use as fractional currency. It was an unconventional arrangement — a postal administration functioning as a de facto monetary issuer — but not without precedent on the continent.
The handstamp authentication was the only real control measure applied, and genuine examples without it exist, complicating attribution.