Catalog
100 Colones
| Issuer | Banco de Costa Rica |
|---|---|
| Year | 1905 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 100 Colones |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Horizontal format note with an oval portrait vignette at left showing a bearded gentleman in formal attire with bow tie, set within an elaborate guilloche border. The centre carries the large numeral '100' in bold intaglio figures flanked by intricate lathe-work underprint in olive and rose tones, with the denomination 'CIEN COLONES' inscribed below. The upper portion bears the bank title 'BANCO DE COSTA RICA' in large letters, with the date and place of issue 'SAN JOSE 19 DE AGOSTO DE 1908' printed across the top, and signature lines for 'EL PRESIDENTE' and 'EL DIRECTOR' at the lower margin. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse is dominated by a central vignette of a grand neoclassical building — the Banco de Costa Rica headquarters — rendered in fine intaglio engraving and set within a rectangular frame. The denomination numeral '100' appears in large format at both left and right, integrated into dense guilloche scrollwork in olive-green and dark red tones. The bank name 'BANCO' and 'DE COSTA RICA' are inscribed in arched lettering above and below the central vignette respectively, with the printer's imprint 'AMERICAN BANK NOTE COMPANY NEW YORK' at the bottom margin. |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | Log in to see details |
| Variants | Log in to see details |
| Comments |
The Banco de Costa Rica was a commercial bank, not a central bank — Costa Rica did not establish a central bank until 1950. In 1905, BCR operated under government concession as one of several note-issuing private banks, a system that produced considerable overlap and occasional public confusion about which institution's paper was actually worth holding.
The American Bank Note Company in New York printed most of Latin America's prestige currency at this period, and the S-prefix in the Pick reference confirms this note is catalogued under Specialized issues — effectively private bank paper rather than a government obligation. The distinction mattered enormously to anyone caught holding BCR notes during the banking consolidation of 1914, when the state moved to nationalize note issue entirely.