Catalog
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| Issuer | Banco Occidental |
|---|---|
| Year | 1916 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | P#S180 |
| Obverse description | The obverse is dominated by a central vignette of a steamship in a harbor with mountainous terrain in the background, printed in a dark intaglio style. The bank title BANCO OCCIDENTAL appears in large lettering across the upper portion, with the denomination CEN PESOS and the legend PAGARA A LA VISTA AL PORTADOR EN MONEDA EFECTIVA inscribed in the central panel. The date and place of issue, San Salvador, Febrero de 1916, are printed at the lower center, with serial number and denomination numeral 100 positioned at upper right. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | BANCO OCCIDENTAL REPUBLICA DE EL SALVADOR TRIBUNAL SUPERIOR DE CUENTAS TOMOSE RAZON AMERICAN BANK NOTE COMPANY |
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| Comments |
Banco Occidental was a regional Colombian bank operating out of Cali, and by 1916 it was already fighting for survival. The Colombian banking reforms of the early twentieth century — and particularly the eventual nationalization push that would consolidate currency issuance under the Banco de la República after 1923 — effectively ended the commercial bank note period in Colombia. Notes like this one were products of a system with a known expiration date.
The American Bank Note Company contract is worth noting: ABNC handled a large share of Latin American private bank issues in this period, and their Colombian client list was extensive enough that plate-sharing and design recycling between issues of different banks is a documented phenomenon with this printer and this country.