Catalog
20 Colones Banco Anglo Costarricense
| Issuer | Banco Anglo Costarricense |
|---|---|
| Year | 1909-1917 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | The obverse is printed in black intaglio over a yellow-orange and grey guilloche underprint, with ornate scrollwork corner medallions bearing the numeral 20. At left, an oval vignette contains a finely engraved bust portrait of a bearded gentleman in three-quarter profile. To the right, a large intaglio numeral 20 is set within an elaborate lathe-work panel, below which the denomination VEINTE COLONES and the gold-payment clause appear in bold letterpress. Signature lines for Presidente and Administrador are positioned at the lower centre, with the printer's imprint of Bradbury Wilkinson y Cª Grabadores Londres in a cartouche at bottom centre. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse is printed in brown with black intaglio, dominated by a central finely engraved vignette of the Monument to the National Campaign of 1856–1857 (Juan Santamaría monument), its pedestal inscribed with those dates, with small figures gathered at its base. The vignette is framed by a large arched border of intricate guilloche scrollwork, and circular white medallions at left and right each bear the bold numeral 20. The bank name ANGLO COSTARRICENSE appears in a prominent panel at the base of the design, with the printer's imprint below. |
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| Comments |
Banco Anglo Costarricense was the oldest commercial bank in Central America, founded in 1863 with British capital and operating under a government concession that permitted private note issue well into the twentieth century. This series ran across a notably long window — eight years — during which Costa Rica's banana export economy was expanding rapidly, making 20-colón denominations genuinely functional in large agricultural transactions rather than merely ceremonial tender.
Bradbury Wilkinson's involvement is worth noting: the London firm held contracts across dozens of Latin American issuers simultaneously, and their intaglio work for the Anglo Costarricense series was among the finer examples they produced for the region during this period.