Catalog
10 Pesos
| Issuer | Banco de Costa Rica |
|---|---|
| Year | 1899 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 10 Pesos |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Central vignette presents a panoramic view of the American and Canadian Horseshoe Falls at Niagara, rendered in fine intaglio engraving. The denomination DIEZ 10 appears in panel cartouches on either side of the central vignette, with the numeral 10 repeated in all four corners. The imprint of the American Bank Note Co., New York is engraved along the lower border. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | San José, COSTA RICA, 1º de Abril de 1899. EL BANCO DE COSTA RICA PAGARÁ AL PORTADOR LA CANTIDAD DE DIEZ PESOS EN MONEDA ACUÑADA. (Translation: San José, Costa Rica, 1st of April of 1899. The Bank of Costa Rica Will pay the bearer the quantity of TEN PESOS In minted currency.) |
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| Comments |
Banco de Costa Rica was a private commercial bank that held government authorization to issue currency — not a central bank in any modern sense. By 1899, it was operating alongside Banco de la Unión (later Banco de Costa Rica's eventual rival) in an environment where multiple private institutions held concurrent issuing rights, a arrangement that persisted until the government moved to consolidate note-issuing authority in the early twentieth century.
The American Bank Note Company's involvement was typical for Latin American private banks of the period seeking to signal credibility through association with a recognized security printer. ABNC maintained extensive plate archives, and reused or adapted stock vignette elements across client issues with some frequency.