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20 Lempiras
| Issuer | Banco Atlántida |
|---|---|
| Year | 1932 |
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| Value | 20 Lempiras |
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| Obverse description | Central intaglio vignette of a classical allegorical female figure seated amid agricultural and commercial attributes, framed by an ornate engraved border with lathework guilloche panels. The denomination numeral '20' appears in large figures at each corner, with the issuing bank title 'EL BANCO ATLANTIDA' across the top and 'VEINTE LEMPIRAS' in a banner at the foot of the central vignette. Date '1° DE MARZO DE 1932', place of issue 'LA CEIBA HONDURAS', and three signature lines for El Vice Presidente, El Gerente, and El Ministro de Hacienda appear in the lower portion. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | EL BANCO ATLANTIDA PAGARA AL PORTADOR A SU PRESENTACION 20 VEINTE LEMPIRAS LA CEIBA HONDURAS 1° DE MARZO DE 1932 EL VICE PRESIDENTE EL GERENTE EL MINISTRO DE HACIENDA AMERICAN BANK NOTE COMPANY |
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| Comments |
Banco Atlántida was a private commercial bank operating out of Tela and La Ceiba — Honduras's north coast banana economy, not the capital — and its concession to issue currency reflects how fragmented Honduran monetary authority remained well into the 1930s. The American Bank Note Company handled nearly all of Central America's quasi-official private bank paper during this period, and the production quality was typically well ahead of anything the Honduran government itself could commission.
S-prefix Pick numbers indicate quasi-postal or private issue status. By 1932, these notes were already operating on borrowed time — Honduras moved toward centralized issuance under the Banco Central shortly after, ending the era of privately circulating bank paper.