Spain 1857 - Banco de Zaragoza 100 Reales Vellón Serie A Issued Note No. 23322 (Pick S451b)
The Banco de Zaragoza was founded in 1857 under the liberal banking reforms of the Law of January 28, 1856, which briefly allowed numerous regional banks to issue their own currency. Operating only until 1874, when all private-issue banks were absorbed into the Banco de España, the bank produced a small and tightly structured series of reales de vellón notes. Its denomination system was tied directly to series lettering: Serie A = 100 reales, Serie B = 200 reales, Serie C = 500 reales, Serie D = 1000 reales, Serie E = 2000 reales, Serie F = 4000 reales. Because issued notes were aggressively redeemed and destroyed during the national consolidation, genuine circulation survivors are exceptionally scarce. Read more →