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50 Pesos
| Issuer | República de Colombia |
|---|---|
| Year | 1904 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | The obverse is printed in black on white paper. At left, an oval vignette contains a portrait of a uniformed military figure facing three-quarters right. At centre, the national coat of arms is flanked by two putti, with an eagle surmounting the shield; the legend LIBERTAD ORDEN appears above. To the right, a pastoral vignette shows figures among trees. The denomination CINCUENTA PESOS is inscribed in bold letterpress across the lower centre, above the place and date of issue BOGOTA, Abril de 1904, with the serial number at upper right. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse is printed in dark brownish-red. At left, a standing allegorical female figure of Liberty faces right, holding a staff and a globe, with the national arms shield at her feet. The central vignette presents a wide panoramic view of Puerto Colombia with a long pier or jetty extending into the sea. At right, an ornate guilloche panel frames the numeral 50. The inscriptions CINCUENTA PESOS and REPÚBLICA DE COLOMBIA appear at top and bottom respectively. |
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| Comments |
The 1904 Colombian 50 Pesos belongs to a turbulent monetary moment. The Thousand Days' War (1899–1902) had left the country's finances wrecked, with the Banco Nacional having printed paper money so aggressively during the conflict that hyperinflation destroyed public confidence in Colombian currency entirely. The bank was liquidated in 1904, and the government moved to consolidate and reissue under tighter controls — this note is part of that transitional effort.
Waterlow & Sons produced the series in London, as they did for numerous Latin American republics at the time. Carlos Arturo Torres, one of the facsimile signatories here, was also a significant literary figure — poet, essayist, later Colombian minister to London. An unusual name to find on a banknote.