Commemorative coin of the Battle of Lake Maracaibo and the Declaration of 24 July as the Colombian Navy Day - Available to the public as of 21 June 2023
Banco de la República (the Central Bank of Colombia), in compliance with Law 2012 of 30 December 2019, will issue, for commemorative purposes and for one time only, the coin of the Battle of Lake Maracaibo and the Declaration of 24 July as the Colombian Navy Day.
The obverse includes the image of Admiral José Padilla López, who, on 24 July 1823 defeated the Royal Spanish Navy in the Battle of Lake Maracaibo, thus consolidating the independence of Colombia. On its left side, the inscription "ALMIRANTE JOSÉ PADILLA LÓPEZ" (ADMIRAL JOSÉ PADILLA LÓPEZ) and the phrase "Morir o ser libres” (To die or to be free), which was a proclamation to his men before the historic battle started. Moreover, the following inscriptions are included on the obverse: "200 AÑOS DE LA BATALLA NAVAL DEL LAGO DE MARACAIBO” (Two centuries of the battle of Lake Maracaibo), "24 DE JULIO DÍA DE LA ARMADA DE COLOMBIA” (July 24, Colombian Navy day), and "1823-2023", in accordance with the historical commemoration described in the Law. Finally, the coin includes the image of a ship with its sails unfurled, sailing the ocean.
The reverse side shows the coat of arms of the Navy of the Republic of Colombia, which contains three equal stripes with the emblems of the national coat of arms of Colombia, namely, two cornucopias and a pomegranate, the Phrygian cap, and the image of the two oceans of Colombia. It is also inscribed with the following elements: i) the words “REPÚBLICA DE COLOMBIA” (REPUBLIC OF COLOMBIA); ii) “2023”, the mintage year; iii) the denomination of COP$10,000; and iv) a latent image as a security feature that, depending on the angle from which it is viewed, will reflect the initials "BR" (which stands for Banco de la República) or the Arabic numeral "10."
The commemorative coin will be available to the public as of 21 June 2023. It may be purchased in Bogota at the Treasury of Banco de la República and its branches and Cultural Agencies nationwide.
Features:
- Alloy composed of 65% ± 2 copper, 15% ± 2 nickel, and 20% ± 2 zinc. Nickel silver.
- 35 millimeters (± 0.1 millimeters) in diameter.
- Average weight: 21.75 grams (± 3%).
- The coin will have a reeded edge.
Please note:
- A maximum of three (3) coins per user will be exchanged while stocks last (200,000 units), upon appointment request, at the Banco de la República's authorized branches.
- The coin has a face value of COP$10,000, is of legal tender, and may be used for any monetary transaction for the equivalent of its face value.
- The coin is delivered with a leaflet containing information about its features.
- Only cash is accepted to make the exchange.
- The coin in a special case (optional): COP$19,000
In order to conduct the exchange:
Banco de la República has made available to a public the external platform for those interested in scheduling an appointment to exchange the commemorative coin of the Battle of Lake Maracaibo at the different branches of Banco de la República throughout the country.
Interested persons must register their basic personal information, review the available dates and times for the exchange, and schedule the appointment. It is important to point out that your registered data will be stored in databases of the platform and processed by Banco de la República in order to properly provide the chosen exchange operation.
According to the External Operational and Services Circular DTE-406 Subject 74: Treasury Services, in order to carry out cash exchange transactions at the treasury counters, you must submit one of the following original identity documents:
- Valid citizenship card
- First-time identity card password or the certified duplicate-procedure password
- Foreign identity card
- Passport
- Temporary Protection Permit
Note: When booking the appointment, you will be asked to declare that you are over 18 years old.
The commemorative coin of the Battle of Lake Maracaibo is available at the following branches of Banco de la República, upon appointment request:
- Bogotá: at the Treasury counterslocated at Calle 13 # 35-25.
- Armenia - Carrera 16 # 21-14, Armenia, Quindio.
- Barranquilla - Carrera 46 # 45-39 Second floor of the public hall, Barranquilla, Atlántico.
- Bucaramanga - Carrera 19 # 34-47, Bucaramanga, Santander.
- Cali - Calle 8 # 4-30, Cali, Valle del Cauca.
- Cúcuta - Diagonal Santander # 3E - 38 La Riviera, Cúcuta, Norte de Santander.
- Medellín - Calle 50 # 50-21, Medellín, Antioquia.
- Villavicencio - Calle 38 # 32 - 09, Villavicencio, Meta.
- Cartagena - Calle 33 # 3-123 , Cartagena, Bolívar.
- Florencia - Carrera 11 # 14-70, Florencia, Caquetá.
- Girardot - Calle 17 # 11-56 Girardot, Cundinamarca.
- Honda - Carrera 11 con calle 14 Honda, Tolima.
- Ibagué - Calle 11 # 3-16 Ibagué, Tolima.
- Ipiales - Calle 17 # 7-2 Ipiales, Nariño.
- Leticia - Carrera 10 # 10-15, Leticia, Amazonas.
- Manizales - Carrera 23 # 23-06 Manizales, Caldas.
- Montería - Carrera 3 # 28 - 59, Montería, Córdoba.
- Pasto - Calle 18 # 21-20 Pasto, Nariño.
- Pereira - Calle 18 bis # 9-37 Pereira, Risaralda.
- Popayán - Carrera 6 # 2-78 Popayán, Cauca.
- Quibdó - Calle 25 A # 1-16, Quibdó, Chocó.
- Riohacha - Carrera 15 # 19-40, Riohacha, La Guajira.
- San Andrés - Avenida Colón 2-74, Isla de San Andrés, Archipiélago de San Andrés, Providencia y Santa Catalina.
- Santa Marta - Calle 14 # 1C-37, Santa Marta, Magdalena.
- Sincelejo - Calle 23 # 18-30, Sincelejo, Sucre.
- Tunja - Calle 20 # 8-66 Teatro Quiminza, Tunja, Boyacá.
- Valledupar - Carrera 9 # 16 - 13, Valledupar, Cesar.
