10 Colones 150 Años de Independencia

Issued to mark the 150th anniversary of Central American independence from Spain — declared on 15 September 1821 — this note is one of the more unusual commemorative emissions from Costa Rica in the twentieth century. The American Bank Note Company produced it, as they did the bulk of Costa Rican issues during this period, maintaining a near-continuous relationship with San José that stretched back to the nineteenth century.

The dimensions are notably square relative to most Latin American paper of the period, a deliberate departure tied to the commemorative nature of the issue rather than any standard production constraint.