El Banco de la República
Ten Pesos Oro · 20 July 1943 · Portrait of Antonio Nariño
Historical and Issue Context
An early postwar ten pesos oro: Banco de la República issued pesos-oro notes from 1923. Law 25 of 1923 treated them as representative of the gold peso; Law 82 of 1931 gave them legal-tender status as national currency.6 This specimen, dated 20 July 1943 —Independence Day— belongs to the ABNC type with a portrait of Antonio Nariño.
Pick 389, not Pick 400: the Standard Catalog groups the ABNC 10 pesos oro of 1941–1963 as Pick 389.3 PMG assigns this piece the 389b suffix (1943–47). The Thomas De La Rue redesign —Nariño with Mercury and the Cali bank building— is Pick 400 (1953–1961) and is documented on the 1949–1961 record.5 The types should not be mixed.
The date family: Foronum lists eight P#389 dates from 20.7.1941 to 2.1.1963.1 Banknote World Educational describes 389b.2 of 20.7.1944 (Series N; 140 × 70 mm; ABNC; Nariño in uniform; Liberty seal on the back).2 Heritage sold a uniface Pick 389p proof, PMG 65 EPQ —a different specimen.4
This holder: PMG 50 About Uncirculated EPQ, certificate 8011911-013, Series N, serial 6813011. The label prints “Pick# 389b (dated 1943-47).” It is not the Heritage proof or a 389b of another date.
Key Details Visible on the Banknote
- Main text: “EL BANCO DE LA REPÚBLICA” and “DIEZ PESOS ORO”; place “BOGOTÁ, COLOMBIA” at left and date “20 DE JULIO DE 1943” at right.
- Portrait: Antonio Nariño in an oval at right, captioned “NARIÑO” below the frame.
- Series and serial: “SERIE N” and the red number 6813011, repeated at left and right on the face.
- Signatures: Julio Caro above “GERENTE” and Luis Ángel Arango above “SECRETARIO.”
- Obverse color: orange, green, and yellow guilloche, with large “10” numerals in the four corners and at center. Imprint “AMERICAN BANK NOTE COMPANY.”
- Reverse: green printing with a medallion of a woman in a Phrygian cap (Liberty), legend “BANCO DE LA REPÚBLICA - BOGOTÁ COLOMBIA,” flanking “10” numerals, and “DIEZ PESOS ORO” at the foot. Same ABNC imprint.
- Holder: two PMG holders. Face: 50 EPQ. Back: Exceptional Paper Quality designation, barcode, and certificate 8011911-013.
Notes
1. Foronum — 10 Pesos Oro 1943, P#389 / FO#2577 (opens in a new tab): dated 20 July 1943; paper; 140 × 70 mm; rarity “very scarce.” Secondary collector catalog.
2. Banknote World Educational — Colombia 10 Pesos Oro, 1944, P-389b.2 (opens in a new tab): 20.7.1944; 140 × 70 mm; no thread or watermark; ABNC; Series N; signatures Julio Caro and Luis Ángel Arango; Nariño in uniform; Liberty seal. Same family, different date from this 1943 note.
3. ATS Notes — Colombia banknote catalog (opens in a new tab): Pick 389, 1941–1963, 10 pesos, Banco de la República. Pick 400–401: 10 and 20 pesos, 1953–1965 (a different type).
4. Heritage / NumisBids, Long Beach Signature Currency Sale 4006, lot 28693 (opens in a new tab): uniface face proof Pick 389p, PMG Gem Uncirculated 65 EPQ. A different specimen.
5. Notofilia — Ten Pesos Oro, 1949–1961: 1949 ABNC issue and Thomas De La Rue redesign Pick 400 (1953–1961). Not this 1943 Pick 389b.
6. Langebaek-Rueda and Alonso-Masmela, “90 años del Banco de la República: una aproximación numismática” (2013) (opens in a new tab), in the Bank’s institutional volume: twentieth-century paper money and printed subjects. The Law 25 of 1923 / Law 82 of 1931 regime (gold peso and legal tender) is summarized in studies in the same BanRep repository.