Catalog
5 Colones
| Issuer | Banco Internacional de Costa Rica - Caja de Conversión |
|---|---|
| Year | 1925-1928 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 5 Colones |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | BANCO INTERNACIONAL DE COSTA RICA 5 CAJA DE CONVERSION 5 5 5 5 |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | Watermarked cotton paper; specific watermark device not confirmed from catalog sources. |
| Variants | Log in to see details |
| Comments |
The Banco Internacional de Costa Rica occupied an unusual institutional position: it functioned simultaneously as a commercial bank and as the country's de facto central bank, a dual role that created persistent tensions over monetary policy throughout the 1920s. The Caja de Conversión designation on this note refers to the conversion fund mechanism established to stabilize the colón against gold — a system that was already under strain by the late 1920s as coffee export revenues grew volatile.
ABNC handled the bulk of Central American government printing in this period, and the contract relationship was long-standing. The Banco Internacional was dissolved in 1936 when the Banco Nacional de Costa Rica was created to consolidate the country's fragmented banking structure.