20 Colones

The Banco Internacional de Costa Rica was established by the state in 1914 specifically to break the near-total grip that private banks — chiefly the Banco de Costa Rica — held over the country's note issue. This 20 Colones belongs to a long-lived series that spanned nearly two decades, printed throughout by the American Bank Note Company in New York, whose engraved intaglio work was the prestige standard for Latin American issues of the period.

The extended date range of 1919–1936 reflects repeated reauthorizations of the same plate design rather than distinct emissions, making precise dating of individual notes dependent on the signature combinations of the Gerente and Interventor appearing on each example.