Catalog
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| Issuer | Banco de Occidente |
|---|---|
| Year | 1903-1920 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 20 Pesos |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | The obverse is printed in dark green and black tones, with the bank title 'BANCO DE OCCIDENTE' in bold letters across the upper portion flanked by large numeral '20' counters at each corner. A central intaglio vignette presents an allegorical female figure standing in a tropical landscape, accompanied by a quetzal bird perched to her right, set against lush foliage. The Guatemalan coat of arms appears as a circular seal to the left, while guilloche underprint elements and the place of issue 'EN QUEZALTENANGO' frame the composition, with denomination text 'Veinte Pesos' and serial number printed below the vignette. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | BANCO DE OCCIDENTE EN QUEZALTENANGO American Bank Note Co. New York |
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| Comments |
Banco de Occidente was a regional private bank chartered in Cali, and like most Colombian departmental banks of the period, it retained note-issuing privileges under the 1880s banking legislation that decentralized currency production across the republic. The American Bank Note Company held standing contracts with several of these Colombian issuers simultaneously, which means the plate quality and engraving on this note are likely shared with or adapted from work done for neighboring institutions in the same print run cycle.
The long date range — 1903 to 1920 — spans Colombia's post-War of the Thousand Days recovery period and ends just before the 1923 Kemmerer Mission reforms that abolished private bank note issuance entirely and centralized currency under the Banco de la República.