Juan Sebastián Elcano: 500 años de la Primera vuelta al mundo en los billetes del Banco de España. Historia y tecnología del billete
Series: Occasional Papers. 2030.
Author: Ángel Gómez-Carreño García-Moreno.
Competitiveness
- Cash, coins and banknotes
- Banco de España
- Climate change and green transition
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Abstract
This paper guides us through a historic feat: the first circumnavigation of the Earth, completed by Juan Sebastián Elcano. 2021 marks the 500th anniversary of this heroic voyage, which was the result of the expedition to the Moluccas initiated by Ferdinand Magellan (1519-1521). To commemorate this historic event, the Banco de España, with its vast banknote collection, is conducting an informative study aimed at disseminating the strong link between technology and banknote production. In this case, it focuses on two very specific historical banknotes. Firstly, the 500-peseta banknote of the April 25, 1931 series and, secondly, the five-peseta banknote of the March 5, 1948 series. Both are devoted to the Getaria-born captain, thus enshrining him as one of Spain’s most important historical figures. The composition of both banknotes, their security features and the printing technologies used are studied in detail. Through an historiographical lens, an overview of the historical context and reason for the expedition and the way in which it unfolded is also provided.