5 Bolivianos

The Banco Nacional de Bolivia was established in 1871 with a concession granting it exclusive rights to issue paper currency in the country — a privilege that made it the dominant financial institution in Bolivia through the 1870s and 1880s. By 1883, the bank was operating during a particularly difficult period: Bolivia had just lost its coastal territory to Chile in the War of the Pacific, cutting off access to nitrate revenues and the port of Antofagasta.

The American Bank Note Company printed the series in New York, as was common for Latin American issuers of the period who lacked domestic intaglio capacity. ABNC engraving from this era is generally fine work, and the Bolivian national series of the early 1880s is no exception.

Pick 206 is among the scarcer denominations from this issue.