Old Peruvian Banknotes

Local private banks introduced the first banknotes in Peru around 1864. These Peruvian banknotes (issued between 1864 and 1922) used currency names like Soles, Pesos, Incas and Libras. There was no unified monetary system for the country until 1926, when the Central Reserve Bank of Peru (Banco Central de Reserva del Peru) started issuing paper money.

Peru had since 1897 five main monetary systems. The first one was the Libra Peruana de Oro (Peruvian Gold Pound) that was in circulation as legal tender from 1897. In 1930 followed a new currency called the Sol de Oro (Golden Sun). Because of high inflation, the currency of the era of Republican Peru was abandoned in 1985 and the Inti introduced. The bad economic state of Peru and terrorism in the late 1980s, the Inti lost its value quickly. Hyperinflation struck the country, and the Peruvian government was forced to introduce a new currency in 1991: the Nuevo Sol (New Sun). They introduced the Nuevo Sol at a rate of 1 Nuevo Sol = 1,000,000 Intis. The return to this name was considered appropriate as it could be derived from historical use and divination of the sun as a symbol of power and as a way of connecting the new currency to the old Inti, which was named after Inti, the Sun God of the Incas. On the 15th of December 2015, they changed the name of the Peruvian currency to "Sol" (Sun).

Today you can still buy old Libras, Intis and Sol bills, especially in the small shops behind the main post office in Limas City Center. These bills aren't fake, but keep in mind that they are not legal tender. You can't exchange them or buy anything with them, even if you are told otherwise!

89 results - showing 11 - 20
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
89 results - showing 11 - 20
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Peru Newsflash

Peru Event Calendar

Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun
2
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
13
14
15
16
17
18
20
21
22
23
24
26
28
29
31

Latest Content...

Latest Video

Maria Reiche - Memories

Maria Reiche - Memories

Submitted by: Tintin
05 December 2021

Long Reads...

  • Peruvian Archaeology

    The Mystery of the Nazca Lines in Peru

    In the 1920s, when people first flew across southern Peru, they made an astonishing discovery. Stretching below them,…
  • Peruvian Personalities & Founders

    Francisco Pizarro González (1474-1541)

    Francisco Pizarro, a peasant from Spain, was one of the least well-equipped conquerors in history. However, in the name…
  • Peruvian Archaeology

    The colorful Fabrics and Textiles of Peru

    Europe’s first knowledge of Peruvian textiles was acquired following the Spanish invasion of Peru in 1532, when the…
  • Peruvian Legends, Myths & Tales

    The Jeweled Frog and the Condor

    By a quiet pond, at the side of a cloud-topped mountain in Peru, lived a small green frog and his large green family.…
  • Peru Info

    Peruvian Economy

    The Peruvian economy is an emerging, social market economy highly dependent on foreign trade and classified as an upper…