Catalog
1 Peso
| Issuer | Ministerio de Hacienda y Comercio, República de Costa Rica |
|---|---|
| Year | 1865 |
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| Currency | Peso (1864-1896) |
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| Obverse description | Black letterpress note on white paper with an oval vignette at left containing the Costa Rican coat of arms within an ornate cartouche inscribed MINISTERIO DE HACIENDA Y COMERCIO / REPUBLICA DE COSTA RICA. At right, a second vignette portrays a seated allegorical figure beside barrels and bales. The central text panel bears the denomination UN PESO in manuscript and printed form, the obligation text, serial numbers Nº at upper left and right, and the place and date SAN JOSÉ DE COSTA RICA with two manuscript signature lines for EL SECRETARIO DE HACIENDA and EL ADMINISTRADOR PRINCIPAL below. |
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| Obverse lettering | REPÚBLICA DE COSTA RICA MINISTERIO DE HACIENDA Y COMERCIO Los Administradores de las Rentas Públicas pagarán al Portador la Suma de UN PESO en moneda acuñada y corriente de este dia. San José de Costa Rica 2 de Enero de 1865 El Secretario de Hacienda El Administrador Principal UN PESO |
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| Comments |
Costa Rica's 1865 Peso predates the country's formal national banking system by more than a decade — the Banco Nacional came later, and in the early independence period the Ministerio de Hacienda issued notes directly as a treasury function rather than through any chartered institution. This note is among the earliest paper currency attributable to Costa Rican state authority, and Pick's numbering reflects how sparse and poorly documented this pre-banking material actually is.
Survivors are exceptionally rare. The 1860s Costa Rican economy ran heavily on coin, and paper issues from the Hacienda saw limited acceptance outside government transactions.