The 1948 date places this coin squarely in the year of Costa Rica's civil war — a 44-day conflict that ended with José Figueres Ferrer's junta abolishing the military entirely. The Banco Nacional, which had held sole note-issuing authority since 1936, continued coin production through the transition without interruption. The new government's decision to disband the armed forces redirected military expenditure toward education and health, a fiscal restructuring that had no immediate effect on coinage but would eventually lead to the Banco Central's establishment in 1950 and the Banco Nacional's loss of its monetary issuing role.
The 1948 date places this coin squarely in the year of Costa Rica's civil war — a 44-day conflict that ended with José Figueres Ferrer's junta abolishing the military entirely. The Banco Nacional, which had held sole note-issuing authority since 1936, continued coin production through the transition without interruption. The new government's decision to disband the armed forces redirected military expenditure toward education and health, a fiscal restructuring that had no immediate effect on coinage but would eventually lead to the Banco Central's establishment in 1950 and the Banco Nacional's loss of its monetary issuing role.