10 Colones Banco de Costa Rica

The Banco de Costa Rica was a private commercial bank that held government concession to issue currency — an arrangement common across Central America before state central banking took hold. This note was produced by the American Bank Note Company, which dominated banknote printing contracts throughout Latin America during this period, partly through aggressive lobbying and partly because no regional competitor could match their intaglio quality or security features.

The S-prefix in the Pick reference indicates this series is catalogued under Specialized rather than standard issues — a classification that often undervalues actual circulation history. These notes were in active use during a period of significant Costa Rican coffee export growth, when demand for mid-denomination instruments was real and practical.