50 soles 1977

Common. This is a regular-issue banknote from Peru's 1977 currency series with substantial print runs. The eBay sales data provided shows consistent market availability with UNC specimens regularly selling between $1.35 and $3.25 from 2013 to 2025, with catalog values assessed at $1.25 for UNC condition as of 2019. The note was not recalled, is not from a limited or short-lived issuing authority, and remains readily available in the collector market, confirming its common status.

Issued in December 1977 by the Banco Central de Reserva del Peru, this note commemorates two pivotal elements of Peruvian identity: Tupac Amaru II, the 18th-century indigenous leader who led a major rebellion against Spanish colonial rule, and the town of Tinta in the Cusco region, where this rebellion originated and holds significant historical importance. The choice to feature these subjects on Peru's currency reflects the nation's engagement with its colonial and indigenous heritage during the post-military-junta period of the 1970s.

The obverse features a three-quarter portrait of Tupac Amaru II (José Gabriel Condorcanqui, 1738-1781) on the right side, depicted wearing his characteristic wide-brimmed hat and colonial-era dress, rendered in black and green on a multicolor underprint. The left side displays a classical relief sculpture of a seated figure in an ornate frame, symbolizing Peru's cultural heritage. The centerpiece is Peru's national coat of arms—a complex heraldic emblem featuring a shield with a vicuña (Andean camelid), a cinchona tree (source of quinine), and cornucopia, surrounded by laurel wreaths. The entire design is framed with intricate Greek key geometric border patterns. The reverse depicts 'El Histórico Pueblo de Tinta,' the colonial-era plaza in Cusco where Tupac Amaru II's rebellion was centered, showing multiple colonial religious buildings including churches with bell towers, a bare tree in the central plaza, and cemetery crosses, rendered in fine architectural detail in beige, gray, and green tones.

FRONT SIDE: 'BANCO CENTRAL DE RESERVA DEL PERU' (Central Reserve Bank of Peru); 'CINCUENTA SOLES DE ORO' (Fifty Soles of Gold); 'LIMA, 5 de DICIEMBRE de 1977' (Lima, December 5, 1977); 'TUPAC AMARU II' (portrait label); Signature lines labeled 'PRESIDENTE' (President), 'GERENTE GENERAL' (General Manager), and 'DIRECTOR' (Director); Serial number 'H218887466'. BACK SIDE: 'BANCO CENTRAL DE RESERVA DEL PERU' (Central Reserve Bank of Peru); 'CINCUENTA SOLES DE ORO' (Fifty Soles of Gold); 'EL HISTORICO PUEBLO DE TINTA' (The Historic Town of Tinta); 'THOMAS DE LA RUE & COMPANY, LIMITED.' (printer identification).

Intaglio engraving on bank note paper, produced by Thomas De La Rue & Company, Limited, London. The note demonstrates sophisticated security printing techniques including complex guilloche patterns, fine line work, radiating background patterns, multi-layer engraving in the heraldic imagery, and intricate architectural detail work. The multicolor underprint and precise registration visible in the design indicate advanced offset and intaglio combination printing technology typical of high-security currency production of the 1977 period.

This specimen is identified as Pick P-113, Series H, representing the standard variety without security thread and without 'Pagar al Portador' (Pay to Bearer) text at the top, distinguishing it from similar related issues P-94, P-101, and P-107. The note features three signature lines (President, General Manager, Director) in standard format. Replacement notes carry the serial number prefix Z999. The observed serial number H218887466 indicates a regular issue note from Series H. PMG has cataloged two variants for this base Pick number: P-113* and P-113s, though the specific variant distinction for this specimen would require additional technical examination beyond visual analysis.