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2 Colones
| Issuer | Banco Nacional de Costa Rica |
|---|---|
| Year | 1939 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | Printed in red-orange tones, the obverse carries a triple institutional heading — "BANCO NACIONAL DE COSTA RICA / BANCO INTERNACIONAL DE COSTA RICA / DEPARTAMENTO EMISOR" — above a "CAJA DE CONVERSION" panel, with an oval intaglio portrait bust of Christopher Columbus facing right at left, enclosed within fine guilloche scrollwork. The central legend reads "DOS COLONES" above a letterpress legal clause referencing the conversion law of 5 November 1936, with the issuance place and date of San José, 15 February 1939. Ornate corner panels carry the denomination numeral "2" at upper left and right, with series letter and serial number appearing twice across the note. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse, rendered in blue, presents a central engraved pastoral vignette of a rural Costa Rican scene with a figure on horseback accompanied by a standing woman amid lush tropical vegetation, all set within an elaborate guilloche frame. The inscription "BANCO INTERNACIONAL DE COSTA RICA" spans the upper panel, while "CAJA DE CONVERSION" occupies a cartouche at the bottom centre. Large ornate guilloché rosette panels bearing the numeral "2" flank the central vignette at left and right. |
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| Comments |
Waterlow & Sons held the Costa Rican printing contract through much of the 1930s, and this 2 Colones belongs to a series produced during a period when the Banco Nacional — established in 1914 — was consolidating its role as the country's dominant issuing authority, a position it held until the Banco Central de Costa Rica was created in 1950.
The Pick 196 designation covers a relatively short issue window. Waterlow notes from this period are typically found with foxing along the margins, a known vulnerability of the cotton stock used under the humidity conditions of Central American circulation.