Venezuelan venezolano

The venezolano was the currency of Venezuela between 1872 and 1879. It was divided into 100 centavos, although the names céntimo and centésimo were also used. Venezolano was also the name of two currencies planned in 1854 and 1865 (see Currency of Venezuela).

History

The monetary law of 11 May 1871 replaced the peso with the venezolano at par. The Latin Monetary Union bimetallic standard was adopted, with the silver venezolano (venezolano de plata or fuerte) of 25g .900 fine and a gold venezolano of 1.612 g .900 fine. The subsidiary silver coinage was only .835 fine, legal tender to a maximum of 40 venezolanos per transaction.

From 1 January 1872 all accounts had to be converted and expressed in venezolanos and centavos. Coins minted in conformity with the 1857 monetary law were to continue in circulation. The new coinage was minted in Paris and was introduced into circulation in June 1874. The Venezuelan coinage of 1858 had been very limited; the coinage of 1873-1877 marked the establishment of a true, modern national coinage.