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5 Colones
| Issuer | Banco Comercial de Costa Rica |
|---|---|
| Year | 1914 |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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| Obverse description | The obverse is dominated by a central intaglio vignette of the Teatro Nacional de San José, rendered in fine line engraving within an ornate frame. The bank title EL BANCO COMERCIAL DE COSTA RICA arches across the top in bold letterpress, while the denomination CINCO COLONES appears in a decorative guilloche panel at the bottom center. Numeral 5 counters in elaborate lathe-work rosettes flank both sides, with series and serial number designations printed in red, and the city inscription SAN JOSÉ appears at the lower left; PRESIDENTE and ADMINISTRADOR signature titles are printed at the foot. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | EL BANCO COMERCIAL DE COSTA RICA Nº Serie B SAN JOSÉ CINCO COLONES EN MONEDA ACUÑADA DE ORO PAGARÁ AL PORTADOR A LA VISTA LA CANTIDAD DE PRESIDENTE ADMINISTRADOR American Bank Note Co. New York SPECIMEN |
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| Comments |
The Banco Comercial de Costa Rica was one of several private banks of issue operating in Costa Rica before the government moved to consolidate currency authority — a process that accelerated dramatically after the 1914 financial disruptions tied to the outbreak of the First World War, which collapsed foreign credit lines and destabilized smaller issuing institutions throughout Central America. The Banco Comercial did not survive long into the postwar period; it lost its right of issue as Costa Rica progressively centralized monetary control through the 1920s, culminating in the eventual primacy of the Banco Internacional.
ABNC produced notes for dozens of Latin American private and state banks during this period, often recycling plate elements across clients. Whether this specific series shares design components with other ABNC-produced Costa Rican issues of the same era is worth examining against the S-series entries for Banco Anglo-Costarricense and Banco de Costa Rica.