Catalog
50 Colones
| Issuer | Banco Internacional de Costa Rica |
|---|---|
| Year | 1914 |
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| Printer | American Bank Note Company |
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| Obverse description | Central vignette shows a seated allegorical female figure with classical drapery, flanked by decorative guilloche panels bearing the numeral 50 in large ornate format at left and right. The bank title BANCO INTERNACIONAL DE COSTA RICA runs across the top in bold letterpress, with the place of issue San José and date 1° Noviembre de 1914 in the lower field. The promise-to-pay legend and denomination CINCUENTA COLONES appear in the lower register beneath the central vignette, with two manuscript signatures and a printed countersignature at the base. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | BANCO INTERNACIONAL DE COSTA RICA Nº 3924 SERIE A San José 1° Noviembre de 1914 PAGARÁ AL PORTADOR LA CANTIDAD DE CINCUENTA COLONES EN MONEDA DE ORO ACUÑADA 50 |
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| Comments |
The Banco Internacional de Costa Rica was established by government decree in 1914 as a state-owned institution, absorbing the note-issuing functions previously held by private banks. This 50 Colones belongs to the earliest period of that transition — a high-denomination note issued by an institution that had existed for months, not years, and whose public credibility was still being built.
ABNC produced the plates in New York under their standard intaglio process. The watermark in the cotton substrate was the primary security measure, reflecting what was then considered sufficient for Central American circulation volumes.