10 Colones

The Banco Nacional de Costa Rica was established in 1914 as a state institution, but it did not hold a monopoly on note issue until 1936, when the government consolidated currency authority and displaced several private competitors. This note belongs to the series that followed that consolidation — the ABNC contract was part of a broader effort to produce a professional, uniform coinage that would hold public confidence during years of significant Central American economic instability tied to wartime commodity disruptions.

ABNC's intaglio printing for Central American clients during this period was high quality but essentially standardized across several small nations, with plate work shared or adapted between contracts. The seven-year date range on this type reflects leisurely reissue rather than any monetary emergency.