José Germán Gutiérrez de Piñeres y Cárcamo

1. Academic Training and Creole Elite

A member of one of the Caribbean region's most influential aristocratic families, he moved to Bogotá in 1786 to study at the prestigious Colegio Mayor de Nuestra Señora del Rosario.

He achieved the degrees of Bachelor in Philosophy, and obtained the title of Bachelor, Bachelor and, finally,Doctor in Canon Law in 1793. In 1794 he was formally received as Lawyer of the Royal Audience, deciding to settle in Cartagena to practice his profession.

2. Leadership in the Independence of Cartagena (1811)

Together with his brothers (Gabriel and Vicente Celedonio), Germán became the political driving force of the radical faction of Cartagena. He was one of the main brains behind the events of theNovember 11, 1811.

That day, using the popular mobilization of the Getsemaní neighborhood (led by Pedro Romero), the Gutiérrez de Piñeres brothers pressured the Government Board to sign the Act of Absolute Independence of Cartagena, definitively breaking all ties with the Spanish crown.

3. Numismatic Milestone: The Father of the Colombian Banknote (1813)

In 1813, as President of the Patriotic Junta of Cartagena, he faced the urgency of financing the independence troops due to the lack of gold and silver. To solve the crisis, it made the bold decision to issue fiat currencies.

• The issue:authorized the printing of 300,000 banknotes with the denomination of 1 Real.
• The ticket (“Real de Piñeres”):They were rudimentary vouchers printed in black ink on plain paper that bore his handwritten signature to give them legal validity. A specimen of this issue can be seen in the catalog entry for theOne Real from 1813of the collection.

With this act, Germán Gutiérrez de Piñeres formally signed the first bill in the economic history of Colombia.

4. Exile and Final Destination

During the subsequent period of the Patria Boba and the internal civil wars, the influence of the radicals diminished. With the arrival of the bloody Spanish Reconquista led by Pablo Morillo in 1815, Germán, like many other patriot leaders, had to flee Cartagena. He sought refuge in the Caribbean and ended his days in exile in Haiti, the republican bastion that supported the liberation cause of Simón Bolívar.

Legacy for collectors:In banknote collecting (numismatics), his signature on the paper money of 1813 represents the founding link of the currency in Colombia. Due to their extreme fragility and age, the surviving specimens of the “Real de Piñeres” are considered historical treasures of incalculable value.