5 Colones 150 Años de Independencia

Costa Rica's 150th anniversary of independence fell in 1971, and this commemorative 5 Colones issue was one of several notes released to mark the occasion — unusual for a denomination that had long since settled into workhorse circulation status. Thomas De La Rue produced the print run in London, as they had for much of the Banco Central's output through this period.

Commemorative banknotes from Central American republics of this era rarely stayed in circulation long; the public tended to save them, which means worn examples are actually the harder find.