Catalog
50 Colones Oro
| Issuer | Banco de Costa Rica |
|---|---|
| Year | 1897 |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | REPUBLICA DE COSTA RICA CINCUENTA COLONES ORO CERTIFICADOS QUE ESTÁN DEPOSITADOS EN EL Banco de Costa Rica ADMINISTRADOR DE RENTAS PÚBLICAS CERTIFICADO DE ORO Cincuenta Colones SAN JOSÉ, ENERO 1, 1897 50 |
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| Reverse lettering | CINCUENTA COLONES SECRETARÍA DE HACIENDA Y CRÉDITO PÚBLICO REPÚBLICA DE COSTA RICA SE RECIBE EN LAS ADMINISTRACIONES DE LAS RENTAS PÚBLICAS EN PAGO DE DEUDAS IMPUESTOS Y CONTRIBUCIONES FISCALES MIENTRAS ESTE CERTIFICADO NO SEA PARADO EN ORO LA CANTIDAD A SU PRESENTACIÓN EN EL BANCO DE COSTA RICA POR MONEDA NACIONAL DE PLATA 50 |
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| Comments |
The Banco de Costa Rica was a private commercial bank operating under government concession, not a central bank — Costa Rica would not establish a central bank until 1950. Notes like this one circulated alongside issues from competing concession banks, a fragmented monetary arrangement common to Central American republics of the period. The oro denomination (gold) was a contractual promise, not a literal description of convertibility that was always honored in practice.
American Bank Note Company's work for Costa Rican private banks in the 1890s is among the more technically accomplished output from their New York shop during that decade. The S-prefix Pick reference confirms private bank status.