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5 Pesos
| Issuer | Banco de Quito |
|---|---|
| Year | 1880 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 5 Pesos |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | The obverse is printed in dark blue-black ink on white paper, with the bank title BANCO DE QUITO in bold letterpress across the upper register and the imprint of the American Bank Note Company visible at the top border. Two allegorical female figures serve as lateral vignettes — one seated to the left and one to the right — flanking a central numeral 5 within an ornate guilloche frame, above which the value legend CINCO PESOS appears in large intaglio text. The date Quito, Enero 2 de 1880 is printed in the lower central field, accompanied by two manuscript signature lines captioned EL GERENTE and EL DIRECTOR. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | BANCO DE QUITO VALE CINCO PESOS CINCO 5 Quito, Enero 2 de 1880 EL GERENTE EL DIRECTOR |
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| Comments |
The Banco de Quito was one of several private banks granted note-issuing privileges in Ecuador during the 1870s and 1880s, a period when the country had no central bank and commercial institutions effectively controlled the money supply. Competition between Guayaquil and Quito-based banks was fierce and occasionally destabilizing — the Banco de Quito's notes circulated against rivals whose solvency was equally questionable.
American Bank Note Company's work for Ecuadorian private banks during this period was extensive. The intaglio printing quality consistently exceeded what these institutions could have sourced domestically, which gave the notes an air of credibility the backing institutions didn't always deserve.