Catalog
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
| Issuer | Banco de la Nación Boliviana |
|---|---|
| Year | 1911 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 20 Bolivianos |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | EL BANCO DE LA NACION BOLIVIANA LA PAZ 11 de Mayo de 1911 PAGARA AL PORTADOR A LA VISTA VEINTE BOLIVIANOS Série A Nº 22580 CONTADOR SECRETARIO DEL GOBIERNO |
| Reverse description | The reverse is printed entirely in red-brown on white paper, with a large central oval vignette of the Bolivian national coat of arms, surrounded by elaborate guilloche lathe-work and floral arabesque borders. Large numerals '20' appear at left and right within ornate panels, and the legend 'BANCO DE LA NACION BOLIVIANA' is set along the lower portion of the central design. A repeating marginal inscription reading 'VEINTE PESOS' runs along all four borders, with the printer's imprint 'AMERICAN BANK NOTE COMPANY, NEW YORK' in small lettering at the bottom edge. |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | Log in to see details |
| Variants | Log in to see details |
| Comments |
The Banco de la Nación Boliviana was established by law in 1911, replacing a chaotic landscape of private commercial banks that had each issued their own currency — a system that had produced rampant over-issuance and contributed to serious monetary instability in the preceding decades. This note belongs to the bank's inaugural series, making it an early product of Bolivia's attempt to centralize note-issuing authority under a single state institution.
ABNC's engraved work for Bolivian state clients during this period was consistently high quality, and the watermarked cotton stock was a deliberate step up from the paper standards many of the replaced private banks had used.