50 Colones Silky anole, colorized

Costa Rica's nickel brass circulating coinage has carried wildlife themes since the 1990s, but this 2023 issue takes an unusual production step: acrylic colorization applied to a circulation-class coin rather than a collector piece. The silky anole, Norops nitens, is native to humid lowland forests across Central America. Applying color to a base-metal circulation coin at this scale reflects a broader regional trend in which central banks use circulating coinage for conservation messaging, pioneered aggressively by the Banco Central in its commemorative programs of the early 2000s.