20 Colones

The American Bank Note Company printed this series for Costa Rica during a period when BCCR was still consolidating its role following the 1948 civil war and the nationalization of the banking system under the Figueres junta. The central bank itself had only been formally established in 1950, making this among the earliest notes issued under its authority — not a continuation of prior series but a genuinely inaugural emission.

ABNC's New York production gave the note a finish and intaglio quality that Costa Rica's domestic infrastructure could not have supplied at the time. The printing contract reflects the new government's intent to project institutional stability quickly.