NEW BOOK: BILLETES DE NICARAGUA 1937-1979

On behalf of my co-author, Francisco Orozco Icaza and myself, we are pleased to present a new work on Nicaraguan numismatics, Billetes de Nicaragua 1937-1979. It is the first of four volumes we have in mind, dividing the corpus of Nicaraguan paper money issues into its four principal periods.

The present work covers the issues from 1937 to 1979, basically from the beginning of the Somoza dynasty until the fall of the Somoza regime in 1979. Choosing to begin with this date range came naturally because it represents the most stable period in Nicaragua's financial history, with the best availability of reliable documentation, and with excellent availability of banknotes in collections to illustrate the work.

We begin with the authors' Acknowledgements, among whom I would like to highlight Davide Oldrati in Italy for his magnificent work of researching, cataloging, and illustrating signatures on banknotes from many Latin American countries, and whose work on Nicaraguan banknote signatures is extensive and excellent. We are also indebted to the distinguished researcher of engraving art and vignette history, Mark D. Tomasko, whose several books on the subject and direct contributions helped us a lot.

The Introduction to the work discusses its purpose and the documentation that we were able to compile. These documentary sources are transcribed in their entirety and are of primary importance as they allow us to present for the first time a detailed catalogue of the notes issued for the period in question. These are grouped by the year of issue corresponding to their authorization decrees, then sorted by denomination in ascending order.

Each type or issue is assigned a carefully crafted reference code specific to this work. With this numbering system, a banknote can be identified in much greater detail than with the simple Pick number that appears in the Krause Publications' catalogs. This in turn gives us the flexibility to assign a much more accurate and precise rarity grade to each type and variety.

Although no commercial values are assigned, given their volatility, a Rarity Table with precise rarity ratings provides a more robust tool to estimate them in general, since a Nicaraguan note of this period classified as Very Rare (RR) or Extremely Rare (RRR) will likely always fetch a very high price at auction.

 

The image of the best-known issued example for each year and denomination and principal variety is presented where possible; on rare occasions where no issued example can be located, a specimen note is plated, as in the case of the 1937 50 Córdobas, for instance. In some rare instances there is no image at all, when the banknote is totally unknown in any collection or archive. In these exceptional circumstances, we leave a box with a space in case the banknote appears in the future; then the owner of the book can cut out a photograph of the note and paste it in.

At the end of each section, we present a table summarizing every note's relevant information for that type and denomination, including serial number ranges and rarities. At the end of each chapter, we present a summary table with the information for all the denominations of that series. These in turn are summarized in a large table at the end of the book. In our opinion, these tables form the heart of the work and represent the distillation of all our knowledge of these banknotes, especially their rarities.

The Documentary Appendix presents a faithful transcription of all the documents referred to in the tables, duly numbered. The reader can verify the details of each issue for him- or herself. This appendix represents the bulk of the work and makes the book a worthy study tool.

The book is also embellished with information about many of the vignettes that appear on the banknotes and the art that originated them. A Glossary, Index and Bibliography complete the work, which is entirely in Spanish. The book is printed on high quality paper, 474 pages long, and bound in hardcovers with a dustjacket.

The book may be purchased directly from the authors for $350 plus $25 shipping via UPS within the USA (it is a heavy book!) Shipments to Europe are prohibitive (roughly $200 via DHL.) Please contact Alan Luedeking at alan@ludeca.com for orders within the USA, or Francisco Orozco at orozcoicaz@gmail.com for orders within Nicaragua.

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