Catalog
5 Colones
| Issuer | Banco Anglo Costarricense |
|---|---|
| Year | 1903-1917 |
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| Currency | Colón (1896-date) |
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|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | EL BANCO ANGLO COSTARRICENSE PAGARÁ AL PORTADOR A LA VISTA LA CANTIDAD DE CINCO COLONES EN MONEDA NACIONAL DE ORO SAN JOSÉ, 1º DE ENERO DE 19 EL PRESIDENTE EL ADMINISTRADOR |
| Reverse description | Printed entirely in brown monochrome, the reverse presents a richly ornate design composed of dense scrollwork and floral guilloche patterns arranged symmetrically across the note. A central oval vignette carries the Costa Rican coat of arms within an elaborate cartouche flanked by decorative volutes, with the word CINCO repeated in each corner. The inscriptions EL BANCO at top and ANGLO COSTARRICENSE at bottom anchor the design within the bordered frame, with the numeral 5 appearing at the inner left and right margins. |
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| Comments |
Banco Anglo Costarricense was a British-backed commercial bank operating in Costa Rica under concession from the government, one of three private banks authorized to issue currency before the Banco Internacional de Costa Rica took over the monopoly in 1914. This note falls within the transitional years when that privilege was being wound down — notes issued after 1914 under this series were technically still valid but the political ground had already shifted.
The American Bank Note Company held a near-total grip on Central American currency printing during this period, and the S122 series reflects their standard intaglio production for the region. Known examples show significant foxing along the margins, likely a result of Costa Rica's humid storage conditions rather than heavy use.