Costa Rica: New series of circulating coins 2025

[eurocoin]

Costa Rica will next year issue a new series of circulating coins. The denominations will be 25, 50 and 100 colones. The designs of the coins will be the inspired by the Creole swing, morpho butterfly, oxcart and other elements of Costa Rican culture. The pieces will be manufactured at Mint of Poland.

Example of a Costa Rican oxcart:

[<k>]

Fascinating. See my earlier predictions, which have come to fruition just months later - not years, as I had imagined!

THE LIKELY EFFECTS OF THE CIRCULATING COMMEMORATIVES

Costa Rica's coinage has had plain mono-designs for years.

Now the circulating commemoratives have burst onto the scene.

They have brought extra colour and interest for the general public.


This change cannot be put back into the box.

It is a small revolution of sorts.

And it will eventually have consequences for the regular coinage.

I see three effects now in play.

Firstly, the public will become used to attractive thematic coin designs.

Citizens will not mind if their conservative regular coinage is changed.


Secondly, I expect that the currency will be redenominated by 2030.

The prospect of a new coinage prompts new ideas.

By then, the public may welcome thematic designs for the regular coinage.


Thirdly, many neighbouring countries already have thematic coin series.

Worldwide, more countries are choosing to issue thematic coin series.

The UK has chosen to ditch its conservative heraldic designs.

It has now adopted wildlife designs instead.

Even Saudi Arabia now issues coins with attractive pictorial designs.


Eventually Costa Rica too will be influenced by these trends.

[<k>]

Will the new coins be of reduced size, I wonder?

Some of the existing coins are rather large.

See my topic of February 2024:

Costa Rica: coinage structure analysis and the future.

[<k>]

Dominican Republic.

25 centavos coins of the early 1990s.

[<k>]

Central Bank prepares new coins of 25, 50 and 100 colones

In addition, the coins are expected to enter circulation in 2025 with a series of features that will make them very safe and modern.

"The coins we are buying are made of special materials, they have magnetism so that the machines can detect them for sorting. So they will be coins that come with very advanced security technologies," Carlos Melegatti, director of Payment Systems at the BCCR, added.

[Jostein]

The 50 colones coin series have been issued

Same reverse than the 500 colones coin but with only three bars instead of five. The coin is 3 mm smaller than the current one and is made of CuNiZN, which gives the coin a silver color instead the golden color of the current coin.Six different obverses dedicated to wildlife have been issued with a special color issue.

Best,

[<k>]

These coins are just for collectors and will not circulate, I presume?

[Jostein]

Both <k>, The color version issued in a set of 6 coins are for collectors, the non colored version are for circulation. I suppose that the 25 colones coin will have only two bars and the 100 colones coin four. If so, there is still room for a future 10 colones coin with one bar , but this facial has not been announced as part of the new series of circulating coins.

[Figleaf]

The values 25, 50 and 100 colones are reminiscent of the Spanish and Spanish colonial peso of 8 reales. If we assume that the 100 represents what was once the peso, the 50 and 25 denominations are inspired by the 4 and 2 reales. There is no place for a 10 in that system. That doesn't mean it can't be done, but it does mean that if you want to stay with the historic references, the next lower denomination would be 12.5 colones, an unlikely denomination.

Peter

[<k>]

Thanks, Jostein. So it is nothing to  do with the next year's new series of circulating coins.

I can't read the year on these coins.

[<k>]

Costa Rica, 500 colones, 2015.

The standard circulation 500 colones coin was last minted in 2015.

It was made of brass-plated steel.

It weighed 11 grams and was 33 mm in diameter.

The Central Bank of Costa Rica has announced:

"As of July 1, 2025, the ₡500 coin of the previous design will lose its value as a means of payment.
As of that date, such coins must be exchanged or deposited in the different financial entities."

The coin will therefore be demonetised.
From 1 July 2025, it will be replaced by a bimetallic coin, weighing 10.5 grams and with a diameter of 28 mm.

The new coins are bimetallic, with a silver-plated core made of copper and nickel, and a golden ring composed of an alloy of copper, zinc, and nickel. They are slightly smaller than the old coins, measuring 28 millimeters in diameter. On the obverse side, the coin boasts a unique security feature—a "latent" image. This dynamic image appears to shift between the numeral "500" and the initials "BCCR" when the coin is tilted, making it difficult to counterfeit.

RELATED NEWS ARTICLES

New ₡500 Coin in Costa Rica: Design, Features, and Exchange Deadline

As of July 1, 2025, the 500-denominated coin of the previous design will lose its value as a means of payment

[<k>]

Source: AR, Costa Rica.

New Costa Rican coins will enter circulation starting in 2025; the withdrawal of the ¢50 and ¢500 coins will begin in the middle of this year

Their issue will extend until 2027

The launch on February 24 of the ¢50 coin commemorating the national fauna and ecosystems will be accompanied by another series of pieces that will begin to circulate during the course of 2025, marking in turn the withdrawal from circulation of the current ¢50 and ¢500 coins in the middle of the year, the Central Bank announced this Wednesday.

These coins will lose their commercial value starting June 30, and from July 1 they can only be exchanged or deposited in financial institutions.

Meanwhile, starting next March, the new ¢25 coins will show the essence of the provinces of Costa Rica, an issue that will extend until 2026.

Likewise, the ¢100 coins that will circulate from July and will be issued until 2027 will offer a theme alluding to cultural heritage, such as Creole swing, Limón calypso, Liberian bullfighting, Chorotega ceramics, Costa Rican cimarrona, as well as oxen and the oxcart.

A ¢10 coin with a unique design is also being added, whose circulation plan will be based on the demand for it, as indicated by the governing body of national monetary policy.

The ¢50 collector coins that will be on sale starting next Monday will have a value of ¢8,500 in a case and ¢9,000 in acrylic, and will be on sale in public and private banks, mutuals, financial cooperatives, the Costa Rican Numismatic Association and the Central Bank Museum Foundation.

Security and efficiency

Improvements in aspects related to security and even ergonomics were the reasons why the BCCR modified the country's monetary cone, from the ¢10 coin to the ¢500 coin.

According to the issuer, users will be able to take advantage of features such as smaller size and weight, which will make it easier to handle. Also, its composition with copper-based alloys for the identification of equipment and alternating tones for visual effects stands out.

On the other hand, the updated design is in line with a collection program that highlights the cultural and historical value of the country, showing the reverse of the coins the different commemorative motifs.

In addition, they feature state-of-the-art alloys and engraving techniques that aim to mitigate the risk of counterfeiting, encouraging the user to validate their legitimacy by touching, looking at and turning the piece to observe its unique characteristics.

Program for 2025.

So the standard denominations are being replaced.

They will be made smaller and lighter.

A variety of designs will appear on each denomination.


The exception will be the 10 colones coin.

Its design will remain unchanged.

It will however be smaller and lighter.

WHAT IS A MONETARY CONE?

It is called a monetary cone because when placing one coin on top of another, starting from the bottom with the highest denomination towards the lowest denomination, a kind of cone will be formed.

[<k>]

One of the designs for the 50 colones coin.

It will circulate from 25th February 2025.

[<k>]

Costa Rica's currencies are changing: Which ones will stop circulating and which ones will be new?

Until July 1, ¢500 and ¢50 coins will no longer be used as a means of payment and must be exchanged at financial institutions.

By Joshua Alvarado for El Observador.

On Wednesday, February 19, the Central Bank of Costa Rica (BCCR) announced the changes that will occur in the monetary cone of Costa Rica, that is, the  group of currencies that circulate in the country as a means of payment.

It is called a monetary cone because when placing one coin on top of another, starting from the bottom with the highest denomination towards the lowest denomination, a kind of cone will be formed.

The Monetary Authority announced that the changes were made to improve security and also the comfort of users.

For example, they will be smaller and lighter. They all have reduced diameter, which makes them easier to transport.

In addition, the new coins are made from copper-based alloys, which make them easier to identify on equipment and give them greater resistance to corrosion.

The design has also been updated to incorporate the collections program, which highlights the cultural and historical value of Costa Rica.

Finally, new designs mitigate counterfeiting.


Changes to the ¢500 coin.

The largest coin in Costa Rica and the world, gold-colored and 33 millimeters in diameter, will stop circulating. Instead, it is being replaced by a smaller one with four new designs printed on it. It is bimetallic, silver and gold-colored.

These four designs refer to historical milestones of the country and are already circulating simultaneously with the old one. The designs are:

• 200 years of Independence: 18 million pieces in circulation
• 175 years since the founding of the Republic: 2.5 million coins in circulation
• 75 years since the abolition of the army: 2.5 million
• 200 years of the Annexation of the Nicoya Party: 2 million

The old version of the ¢500 coin can be used normally until July 1. After that date, they will maintain their value, but they can only be exchanged in banks and financial institutions, but not for commercial use.


Changes to the ¢100 coin

The current design will be replaced by a collection consisting of six motifs:

• Creole Swing
• Calypso from Limón
• Liberian Bullfight
• Manufacturing of ceramic objects with Chorotega motifs
• Traditional Costa Rican cimarrona music
• Tradition of oxen and cart

It will be golden in color and also reduce in size.

The first two motifs, and therefore the first two new designs, will be in circulation between July and October 2025. It is not yet known when the current ones will stop circulating.


Changes to the ¢50 coin

The current gold coin will be replaced by a smaller, silver-colored one.

The new collection consists of six motifs:

• Morpho butterfly (tropical rainforest)
• Harnessed frog (tropical rainforest)
• Hawksbill turtle (coral reef)
• Lizard or anole (dry tropical forest)
• Mariner crab (mangrove)
• Wild rabbit (moor)

The Central Bank has already put into circulation 5.8 million coins with the morpho butterfly design.

For this year 2025, the next designs will be issued in February, May, August and October. The last design, of the wild rabbit, will be available in January 2026.

The old version of the ¢50 coin can be used normally until July 1, 2025. From that date on, they maintain their value, but they can only be exchanged in banks and financial institutions, but not for commercial use.


Changes to the ¢25 coin

The ¢25 coin will also undergo changes. The new collection consists of seven designs. Each one will refer to the country's provinces.

The designs of the first four provinces will be circulated in March, June, September and December of this year. Limón, Puntarenas, Guanacaste and Heredia will be the first to be represented.

The rest will circulate in 2026.

The BCCR has not yet said when the old versions will cease to circulate.


Changes to the ¢10 coin

Finally, the new ¢10 coin will circulate starting next March and its distribution will be based on demand because it is one of the least used coins.

In this case, the only change has to do with the size, that is, there will be no major variation in the design.


Touch, look and turn: identify the authenticity of coins

BCCR authorities have called on the population to identify the authenticity of the new coins that are already in circulation and those that will soon be put on the market.

For this review, three steps must be followed:

Touch the high relief elements . On the obverse, the number and a set of bars stand out, allowing the person to identify the denomination of the coin by touch.

Look at the finishes on the text and designs.

Finally, turn the coins over and see how their designs change. For example, on the 500 colones coin, when you turn the coin over, the numbers (500) become the initials BCCR.

[<k>]

Costa Rica, 50 colones, 2023.




Issues for 2025.

It seems that the butterfly design of 2023 reappeared in 2024.


The 2023 coin was made of nickel-brass.

It weighed 5.54 grams and was 24.5 mm in diameter.


The standard coin weighed 8 grams and was 27.5 mm in diameter.

It was made of brass-plated steel and was last issued in 2017.

See my topic of February 2024:

Costa Rica: coinage structure analysis and the future.