Catalog
2 Pesos
| Issuer | Banco de Costa Rica |
|---|---|
| Year | 1895 |
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| Currency | Peso (1864-1896) |
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|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | EL BANCO DE COSTA RICA Pagará al portador la cantidad de DOS PESOS en moneda acuñada San José, 1º de Enero de 1895 EL PRESIDENTE DEL CONSEJO DE GOBIERNO EL DIRECTOR |
| Reverse description | Printed in green, the reverse is dominated by an elaborate guilloche framework with large numeral '2' counters on both the left and right sides. At centre, the Costa Rican national coat of arms is set within a circular guilloche medallion, flanked by the inscription 'BANCO DE COSTA RICA' above and 'COSTA RICA' below, all surrounded by intricate lathe-work rosettes and geometric ornamental borders. |
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| Comments |
The Banco de Costa Rica was established in 1877 as a private commercial institution and held the government account, giving it substantial influence over national finances. By the mid-1890s it operated alongside two other note-issuing banks — the Banco de la Unión and the Banco de Crédito Hipotecario — in a plural banking arrangement that Costa Rica would not rationalize into a single state monopoly until decades later.
American Bank Note Company's work for Central American clients during this period was prolific, and the S-prefix Pick numbering reflects its status as a private bank issue rather than a government obligation. The "Pesos" denomination places this firmly before Costa Rica's 1896 monetary reform, which transitioned the official unit to the Colón.