Collecting Central America
Created in 1858 by merger and amalgamation of several leaders in a highly specialized field, the American Bank Note Company (ABNC) brought together the designing, classic engraving, and printing talents of some of the world’s greatest banknote makers. This was the firm that gave the world the US greenback dollar, combining the artistry of fine engraving with the secrets of high security ink manufacture.
As stamp collectors we can count ourselves fortunate that many of those remarkable skills smoothly transferred to postage stamp manufacture, with the ABNC a leader in the field. They sent sales and marketing staff down to Central and South America where they won contracts to supply many of the banking and postal requirements of the new republics created when the Spanish Empire crumbled.
