Peru P117—P119—P123 5000 Soles de Oro 1976-81 UNC—No Surrender to Chile!—Miners

Three printers, one legend. This 5000 Soles de Oro celebrates Colonel Francisco Bolognesi — the Peruvian officer who chose death over surrender — alongside the miners whose labor built the nation's economy. You'll receive one of three printings (P-117, P-119, or P-123); all share the same design and denomination.

Front

• Colors: maroon/red-brown print on multicolored background
• Right: portrait of Colonel Francisco Bolognesi
• Center: coat of arms of Peru
• Issuer: Banco Central de Reserva del Perú
• Face value: 5000 Soles de Oro / CINCO MIL SOLES DE ORO
• Watermark: portrait of Colonel Bolognesi
• Signatures: varies by variety — see Other Characteristics below

Back

• Colors: maroon/red-brown print on multicolored background
• Scene: two miners working underground in a mine
• Issuer: Banco Central de Reserva del Perú
• Face value: CINCO MIL SOLES DE ORO
• P-117 only: "BUNDESDRUCKEREI" printed on reverse

Other Characteristics

• Varieties: you may receive any variety:
  • P-117 — 1976-Jul-22, 1981-Nov-05, or 1985-Jun-21; printed by Bundesdruckerei, Berlin; catalog: P-117a/b/c, TBB B447a/b/c, BCRP# 169/171/173; Numista N#211645
  • P-119 — 1979-Feb-01; printed by De La Rue (TDLR), London; catalog: P-119, TBB B448a, BCRP# 170; Numista N#216803
  • P-123 — 1981-Nov-05; printed by American Bank Note Corporation (ABNC), USA; catalog: P-123, TBB B449, BCRP# 172; Numista N#227001
• Composition: Paper
• Size: 150 × 75 mm
• Issuing entity: Central Reserve Bank of Peru (Banco Central de Reserva del Perú)
• Printers: Bundesdruckerei, Berlin (P-117); De La Rue, London (P-119); American Bank Note Corporation, USA (P-123)
• Demonetized: December 31, 1986
• Currency: Sol de Oro (1931–1985)

"I Have Duties to Fulfill and I Shall Fulfill Them"

Francisco Bolognesi (1816–1880) was a Peruvian artillery colonel who became a national martyr at the Battle of Arica during the War of the Pacific. When Chilean forces surrounded the fortress of Arica and demanded surrender, Bolognesi famously replied that he had "duties to fulfill" and would fight "to the last cartridge." He was killed in the final assault on June 7, 1880, at age 63. Peru named a department, a province, a district, a warship, and countless streets after him. His face appeared on Peruvian currency for decades — this 5000 Soles note being one of the most widely circulated examples, printed by three different security printers across nearly a decade.

Peru's Mining Backbone

The miners on the reverse are not background scenery — they are the economic engine of the country. Peru sits atop one of the world's richest mineral belts, part of the Andes Copper Belt that stretches from Chile through Peru into Ecuador. By the time this note was issued in the late 1970s and early 1980s, mining accounted for over half of Peru's export earnings. The country produces copper, silver, zinc, lead, gold, and tin — often from mines at altitudes above 4,000 meters, where workers have labored since Inca times. The Cerro de Pasco mine, one of the world's highest cities, has been continuously mined since the 1630s.

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; gradually applied to the entire region
• Capital: Lima (city pop. ~10 million; metro pop. ~11 million)
  • Origin of name: Corrupted from Limaq, the Quechua name of the Rimac River, 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) — this note issued during this period

Peru Unfiltered

• Peru is the world's second-largest producer of copper and silver and third-largest of zinc — its mountains are essentially a giant vault of metals that have driven empires, colonial extraction, and modern industry alike.
• The Amazon River begins in Peru. The Ucayali–Apurímac system, traced to a glacier on Nevado Mismi, is now recognized as the river's true source — making Peru the birthplace of the world's largest river by discharge.
• Peru has three completely distinct geographic zones within one country: the hyper-arid Pacific coast (one of the driest places on Earth), the Andes highlands above 4,000 m, and the Amazon jungle — each with its own climate, culture, and cuisine.
• Ceviche is a UNESCO-recognized cultural heritage dish — Peru takes its food seriously enough to have a national holiday for it (June 28).
• The Nazca Lines remain unexplained. Geoglyphs etched into the desert floor, some stretching 370 meters, were made by a civilization that vanished before the Inca. Their purpose — astronomical calendar? ritual landscape? alien landing strip? — is still debated.
• Peru's currency has been redenominated four times since this note was printed: Sol de Oro → Inti (1985) → Nuevo Sol (1991) → Sol (2015). Hyperinflation in the late 1980s reached 7,649% annually.
• Lake Titicaca, shared with Bolivia, is the world's highest navigable lake at 3,812 m — and home to the Uros people, who live on floating islands made entirely of totora reeds.

Own this note and hold a piece of Peru's most defiant moment. Whether your copy comes from Berlin, London, or New York, Colonel Bolognesi's portrait carries the same weight — a man who chose honor over survival, on a note that outlasted the currency itself.