Catalog
20 Colones
| Issuer | Banco Internacional de Costa Rica |
|---|---|
| Year | 1918 |
| Type | Pattern or trial banknote |
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|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | BANCO INTERNACIONAL DE COSTA RICA SAN JOSÉ 21 OCTUBRE 1918 EL BANCO INTERNACIONAL DE COSTA RICA PAGARÁ AL PORTADOR LA CANTIDAD DE VEINTE 20 VEINTE VEINTE COLONES EN MONEDA DE ORO ACUÑADA SÉRIE B AMERICAN BANK NOTE COMPANY, NUEVA YORK |
| Reverse description | The reverse is printed in olive-green intaglio on plain paper, dominated by an elaborate symmetrical guilloche pattern arranged around a central cartouche bearing the large numeral "20". Four corner medallions echo the denomination, connected by intricate lathe-work rosettes and interlocking scroll borders. The bank name "BANCO INTERNACIONAL DE COSTA RICA" is inscribed within a rectangular panel at the lower centre, with the American Bank Note Company imprint beneath it. |
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| Comments |
The Banco Internacional de Costa Rica was established in 1914 as a state-owned institution, replacing the private banking arrangement that had previously dominated note issuance in the country. By 1918, with the First World War disrupting European trade routes and commodity prices for Costa Rican coffee exports fluctuating sharply, the bank was under pressure to maintain liquidity and public confidence simultaneously.
ABNC printed several denominations for this institution across overlapping series, and distinguishing P#169A from P#169B typically comes down to signature combinations — a detail that trips up collectors more often than the catalog suggests.