Description and research notes
A photographic proof pair for the 1939 100 Pesos issue produced by the American Bank Note Company for the Departamento de Emisión del Banco de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay. Forming part of Uruguay’s unified 1939 national series, the 100 Pesos denomination represented the entry level of the redesigned monetary structure beneath the higher 500 and 1,000 Pesos values.
The obverse features a classical female figure in profile, rendered within a restrained architectural framework and surrounded by finely balanced guilloche engraving. The composition emphasizes clarity, authority, and formal symmetry, reflecting American Bank Note Company’s mature late-interwar engraving style.
The reverse depicts the Palacio Legislativo in Montevideo, presented in precise architectural perspective. The choice of subject underscores institutional stability and civic order, translating national identity into architectural form rather than allegorical abstraction.
Printed on photographic paper and mounted on original cardstock, this proof pair was not part of the currency production process but served as an archival record of the finalized design. Certified by Professional Coin Grading Service Currency as Choice New 63, it survives as a complete face-and-back photographic ensemble documenting the foundational denomination of Uruguay’s 1939 banknote program.