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5 Incas
| Issuer | Gobierno del Perú (Government of Peru) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1881 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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| Obverse description | Printed in blue, the obverse bears the country title REPÚBLICA DEL PERÚ across the top, divided by the national coat of arms, with cherub vignettes flanking the upper corners. Series letter and red five-digit serial number appear at upper left and right respectively, with the face value expressed in Arabic numerals at all four corners and in Roman numerals at the lower corners, while the denomination in words occupies the centre. The issue date and place of Lima appear in the lower field, the date rendered twice — once in reverse order (year, month, day) and once in standard order — with a single presidential signature below. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Printed in blue without pictorial vignettes, the reverse is organised around a large Arabic numeral 5 at centre, flanked on the left and right edges by Roman numeral V and surrounded above and below by further Roman numeral and lettered value statements. Two manuscript signatures with their official titles occupy the lower zone. A black oval overprint seal at centre carries a modified face value and date. |
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| Comments |
Peru's War of the Pacific (1879–1884) put the government under severe fiscal strain, and these Inca-denominated notes were part of an emergency currency system introduced when silver reserves were effectively gone. The "Inca" was not a lasting monetary unit — it was a wartime expedient, issued while Chilean forces were advancing on Lima. The capital fell in January 1881, which means notes from this year were being printed and circulated in a city on the verge of enemy occupation.
The choice of a Lima-based printer rather than a foreign security press reflects both necessity and the speed of the operation. Abele's output lacks the intaglio depth of European banknote printers, and the notes are correspondingly vulnerable to counterfeiting — a problem the government was in no position to address at the time.