1889 Uruguay 50 Pesos - Banco de Credito Auxiliar, Signed Issued

1889 Uruguayan gold obligation, El Banco de Crédito Auxiliar, Montevideo, fully issued: applied signatures, red serial 21583, and the applied January 1889 date stamp all present. Compañía Sud Americana de Billetes de Banco engraving of horses at pasture. Pick S165a. Guaranteed authentic as described; 30-day returns accepted. Additional notes up to 5 ship free.

Note Details

• Issuing Authority: El Banco de Crédito Auxiliar, Montevideo, Oriental Republic of Uruguay
• Denomination: Fifty Pesos Oro Sellado (50 gold-standard pesos)
• Date: Authorization dated 25 de Octubre 1887; issued by handstamp Enero 89 (January 1889); Serie C
• Catalog Reference: Pick S165a
• Printer / Engraver: Compañía Sud Americana de Billetes de Banco, Buenos Aires
• Format: Issued, applied signatures, serialled, and date-stamped
• Serial Number: 21583, printed in red
• Signatures: Three signatures, Secretario, Presidente, and Director Gerente
• Interest Stamp: Applied rectangular handstamp on the reverse reading Intereses 8% / Sorteo 1º Julio 89 (8% interest, draw dated 1 July 1889)
• Security Features: Fine intaglio horse vignette on the face, dense engine-turned reverse medallion, printed timbre (stamp duty) legend on the reverse
• Dimensions: Approx. 175mm W x 100mm H

Condition

• Paper Body: Decent remaining body stands up well for age, long stored in sleeve, paper has a few very very faint glossy sheen marks in raking light on reverse if heavily scrutinized. Ink saturation and color remain strong.
• Folds and Creases: Corner folds at both top corners; the top-left corner has paper folded over.
• Surface and Color: Even toning consistent with age. Soiling concentrated along the left side, heaviest at the border. No foxing.
• Margins and Edges: Front registration excellent with complete borders on all four sides. Reverse registration slightly tilted but borders complete.
• Instrument Cuts: Left edge carries an instrument cut with associated loss, approximately 25mm running top to bottom along the margin; does not reach the design border. A second instrument cut runs approximately 25mm from the top edge at an angle, with no loss, crossing into the outer border ornament and the "50" counter band before terminating short of the central design, with one perforating hole adjacent. Both read as handling or processing damage rather than cancellation.
• Repairs and Alterations: None. No tape, fills, patches, thinning, or trimming; no evidence of washing or pressing.
• Signature/Serial Ink: All three signatures present and legible. Red serial strong and fully legible. Applied handstamps legible on both face and reverse.

Fulfillment

Ships in a Mylar currency sleeve backed with acid-free mat board in a rigid photo mailer. Sleeve is sized for safe transit and archival storage; may be larger than the note. Typically ships within one business day. Rates to Alaska and Hawaii differ from continental US; please message for quote. International shipping available through eBay's Global Shipping Program. Additional notes up to 5 ship free. If combined shipping doesn't calculate correctly at checkout, we'll refund any overcharge promptly when order fulfills.

Historical Notes

This is an interesting financial instrument. They were used as currency, but are more like bonds in some aspects. The investor would bring in their 50 gold pesos, receive this document, and then in 6 months, they'd receive their money back with interest. The notes were printed ahead of time, but were filled in at issue, so the rates could change. This one has the 8% interest stamp, with a draw date of July 1st, 1889, exactly six months out from the January 1889 issue date on the front.

These survive both issued and unissued. The art is also excellent. Engraved in Buenos Aires by one of the region's top security printers, and issued right in the middle of a lending boom in Uruguay that, a few years later, helped tip the region into the financial crisis of 1890.