Catalog
50 Colones
| Issuer | Banco Internacional de Costa Rica |
|---|---|
| Year | 1918 |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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| Obverse description | Specimen trial note with serial numbers rendered as '00000' in red overprint. The central vignette presents a reclining allegorical female figure set within an ornate intaglio frame, flanked by large guilloche medallions bearing the numeral '50' at left and right. The bank title 'BANCO INTERNACIONAL DE COSTA RICA' runs in bold letterpress across the top, with 'San José' at lower left and the American Bank Note Company imprint at the base. Red 'SPECIMEN' overprints appear at lower left and right, and the promise text 'PAGARÁ AL PORTADOR LA CANTIDAD DE CINCUENTA COLONES EN MONEDA DE ORO ACUÑADA' is inscribed across the lower central panel. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | BANCO INTERNACIONAL DE COSTA RICA No 00000 Serie B 50 San José PAGARÁ AL PORTADOR LA CANTIDAD DE CINCUENTA COLONES EN MONEDA DE ORO ACUÑADA SPECIMEN American Bank Note Co. New York EL PRESIDENTE EL GERENTE |
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| Comments |
The Banco Internacional de Costa Rica was established by the government in 1914 specifically to break the monopoly held by private banks — principally the Banco de Costa Rica — over note issuance. This 50 Colones belongs to the earliest years of that institution, when ABNC in New York was handling essentially all of Central America's high-value printing work.
Pick 170A is distinguished from the closely related 170 by its serial number color and signature combination — differences easy to overlook and responsible for more than a few miscatalogued examples in the trade.