Description and research notes
Specimen printed by Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co. for the Banco de San Juan during Argentina’s expansion of provincially chartered banks in the 1870s. The 1 Peso Fuerte design reflects the distinct artistic language of the early British engravers active in Latin America, with refined lathe-work borders and a central condor vignette symbolizing vigilance and freedom.
Provincial banks such as San Juan’s played a crucial role in financing internal trade, mining, and viticulture in the Andean provinces following Argentina’s unification. They issued their own convertible paper under the *Ley de Bancos Garantidos* framework, using metallic reserves as security for local credit. Each province maintained its own monetary identity before the national consolidation of banking in the 1880s.
This specimen was never issued for circulation—its archival serial placement and pristine paper confirm a non-issued press pull produced for approval or record retention. It stands as the only known graded example of this denomination in the PMG census, with no issued counterpart or variant recorded. The note represents an educational benchmark for understanding how Argentina’s frontier provinces embraced modern engraving and international printing partnerships during their brief era of financial autonomy.