Description and research notes
Historical Context — Established in 1862, the Banco de Londres y Río de la Plata was the first major British-chartered bank to operate in the Southern Cone. Its Rosario branch, opened soon after Buenos Aires, served the fast-growing Santa Fe region, handling grain exports, shipping, and early railway finance.
The 1 Real issue dated 15 December 1866 represents one of Argentina’s earliest fractional notes under foreign management. Printed locally in Buenos Aires on fine wove paper, it carried full convertibility ‘al portador en moneda corriente’. These notes circulated widely before the national currency reforms of the late 1870s.
Design & Features — Typographic construction with ornate guilloche borders repeating ‘REAL’. Central value within a medallion, denomination spelled out below. Distinctive signature at lower right identifies the initial Rosario authorization group.
Research Notes — Catalogued as PS1731 (Bauman SFE 70). Few examples remain extant, as most were redeemed and destroyed during consolidation of British branch banking. This early issue documents the transitional phase from provincial credit to organized Anglo-Argentine banking infrastructure.