The Bank of the Republic

The Butterfly Bill “”

Issued on April 2, 1996, this Two Thousand Pesos bill is popularly known in Colombia as “the butterfly” for the vignette of a butterfly next to a natural landscape that accompanies the portrait on the obverse —a nod to Colombian biodiversity in a design that, for the rest, continues to focus on a hero of independence.

Obverse:portrait of Francisco de Paula Santander, “the Man of Laws”, at right, with the butterfly and landscape vignette above.Reverse:the Bogotá Mint, in reddish and pink tones, with the coat of arms of Colombia.

The Off-Center Cutting Error

This specimen presents aoff-center cut: the guillotine separating the banknotes from the printing sheet deviates ó from its axis, leaving diagonally trimmed triangular corners on opposite sides of each — face visible on both the front and back— instead of the usual four right angles. It is a finishing defect, typical of the guillotining process, distinct from a printing error in the ink or color registration.