Catalog
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| Issuer | Banco Nacional de Costa Rica |
|---|---|
| Year | 1937-1938 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 2 Colones |
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| Obverse description | Red-orange note issued under the Caja de Conversión authority, with a left-side portrait vignette of a bearded figure in intaglio style, set against a tropical landscape vignette with palm trees at centre-right. The upper portion carries the bank title BANCO INTERNACIONAL DE COSTA RICA above CAJA DE CONVERSIÓN in bold lettering, with denomination DOS COLONES in a central panel flanked by numeral 2 cornerpieces. Serial number, series letter, acuerdo number, place and date of issue appear in the lower field alongside two manuscript signature lines. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | BANCO INTERNACIONAL DE COSTA RICA Serie C CAJA DE CONVERSIÓN DOS COLONES EN MONEDA DE ORO DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMERICA EN LETRAS DE CAMBIO A LA VISTA SOBRE NEW YORK AL ADMINISTRADOR, O EN LA RELACION DE UN DOLAR POR CADA CUATRO COLONES Acuerdo No 12 SAN JOSÉ, 4 de Enero de 1937 El Presidente, El Gerente, |
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| Comments |
The Banco Nacional de Costa Rica was established in 1914 and reorganized in 1936, just before this series entered circulation — which is why the institution's name on notes from this period still carries a slightly provisional feel. The 1937–1938 issue predates the creation of the Banco Central de Costa Rica by more than a decade; the Nacional held near-central-bank functions during these years, managing currency issuance without a formal central authority to answer to.
Cotton-based paper from this region and period is prone to edge fraying under tropical humidity, and Costa Rican notes of the late 1930s have a documented survival problem precisely because of the climate in which they circulated.