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5 Colones
| Issuer | Banco Occidental |
|---|---|
| Year | 1920 |
| Type | Pattern or trial banknote |
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|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | BANCO OCCIDENTAL SERIE A PAGARÁ A LA VISTA AL PORTADOR Nº 000000 SAN SALVADOR 1° DE MAYO DE 1920 CINCO COLONES GERENTE PRESIDENTE CAJERO 5 |
| Reverse description | Printed entirely in green, the reverse is dominated by a central circular vignette containing a right-facing portrait bust of a historical figure, surrounded by an ornate lathe-work frame. The bank name BANCO OCCIDENTAL is arranged in two lines above the portrait within the central medallion. Numeral 5 counters appear at upper left, upper right, lower left, and lower right corners within an elaborate guilloche border. The printer imprint AMERICAN BANK NOTE COMPANY appears at the bottom margin. |
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| Comments |
Banco Occidental was one of El Salvador's private commercial banks authorized to issue currency under the country's plural banking system, which remained in place until 1934 when the newly established Banco Central de Reserva assumed sole issuing authority. This note predates that consolidation by over a decade — a period when several competing Salvadoran banks each printed their own circulating paper through contracted American and European security printers.
The American Bank Note Company handled the Banco Occidental account from New York, a typical arrangement for Central American issuers of this period who lacked domestic security printing facilities capable of meeting anti-counterfeiting standards.