Peru 4 Pcs Set 5-10-50-100 Soles de Oro 1973-7 UNC "Velasco" Style

Four uncirculated notes from the same era of Peruvian history — the Velasco years (1968–1975), when a left-wing military government nationalized industries, redistributed land, and put indigenous heroes on the nation's currency for the first time. Each note in this set tells a different story: an Inca emperor, a mestizo chronicler, a colonial-era rebel, and a founding physician. Together they form a compact portrait of Peru's layered identity — pre-Columbian, colonial, and republican — all printed by De La Rue on the same 155 × 65 mm canvas.

All four notes are Uncirculated (UNC), demonetized, and printed on paper by De La Rue, London. Demonetized when the Sol de Oro was replaced by the Inti in 1985.

The Notes in This Set

5 Soles de Oro — P-99c — 1974

Front: Inca Pachacutec, the ninth Sapa Inca, who expanded the empire 4,000 km and ordered the construction of Machu Picchu. Dark green engraving on light pink and green underprint.
Back: Sacsayhuamán Fortress, Cusco — megalithic walls of limestone blocks up to 125 tonnes, built without wheels or iron tools. Green print.
Catalog: P-99c; TBB B434; series J239–J305

10 Soles de Oro — P-106 — 1975

Front: Garcilaso Inca de la Vega (1539–1616), son of a conquistador and an Inca princess, who sailed to Spain and spent his life writing the definitive account of Inca civilization. Red on yellow-orange underprint.
Back: Lake Titicaca with traditional balsa reed boats — the world's highest navigable lake at 3,812 m, birthplace of Inca mythology. Red on yellow-orange underprint.
Catalog: P-106; TBB B435h; BCRP# 125; series I396–I440

50 Soles de Oro — P-113 — 1977

Front: Túpac Amaru II, the mestizo curaca who in 1780 launched the largest indigenous rebellion in colonial American history, besieged Cusco, and was publicly drawn and quartered by the Spanish. Dark blue and black on pale pink underprint.
Back: Landscape of Tinta — the small Andean town where Túpac Amaru II based his rebellion and which the Spanish razed after his capture.
Catalog: P-113; TBB B436j; BCRP# 161; series H195–H235

100 Soles de Oro — P-102c — 1973

Front: Hipólito Unanue (1755–1833), physician, scientist, and statesman who founded Peru's first medical school and served as Minister of Finance under both San Martín and Bolívar. Dark blue and black on multicolor underprint.
Back: The church that hosted Peru's first national congress in 1822 — the first act of genuine self-governance in the new republic's history.
Catalog: P-102c; TBB B437f; BCRP# 138; series G97–G107

About Peru

• Origin of name: Likely derived from Birú, the name of a local ruler or river encountered by Spanish explorers in the early 16th century; the name was gradually applied to the entire region
• Capital: Lima (city pop. ~10 million; metro pop. ~11 million)
  • Origin of name: Corrupted from Limaq, the name of the Rimac River in the local Quechua dialect, meaning "talker" or "speaker"
• Population: ~34 million (UN 2024) — slightly larger than Canada
• Area: 1,285,216 km² (496,225 mi²) — slightly smaller than Alaska; larger than France, Spain, and Germany combined
• GDP per capita (PPP): ~$16,000 (IMF 2024)
• Main exports: copper, gold, zinc, lead, fishmeal, asparagus, coffee, textiles
• Borders: Ecuador, Colombia, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile; Pacific Ocean to the west
• Ethnicities: Mestizo (~60%), Amerindian (~26%), White Peruvian (~6%), Afro-Peruvian (~4%), other (~4%)
• Memberships: United Nations (founding member, 1945); OAS (founding member, 1948); WTO (1995); Pacific Alliance (founding member, 2011); APEC (1998)
• Sovereignty:
  • Inca Empire (c. 1438–1533) — largest pre-Columbian empire in the Americas
  • Spanish Viceroyalty of Peru (1542–1821)
  • Independence declared July 28, 1821; fully secured 1824 (Battle of Ayacucho)
  • Republic of Peru (1821–date) — these notes issued during this period

Own all four and hold a curated slice of Peruvian history — from the Inca emperor who built an empire to the doctor who helped govern a republic. This set makes an ideal gift, a strong foundation for a Peru collection, or a conversation piece for anyone drawn to the art and history of Latin American banknotes.