10 Céntimos

Costa Rica's brass coinage of the late 1930s emerged from a period of acute economic constraint following the collapse of coffee export revenues during the global depression. The switch from earlier cupronickel issues to brass reflected both material cost pressures and shifting international metal markets rather than any domestic policy preference.

KM#174 was struck at the Casa de Moneda under contract arrangements that changed at least once during the series run, accounting for minor die variations across the 1936–1941 span.