The Central Bank of Costa Rica (BCCR) announced that the new ¢50 coins from the collection will begin circulating next week. This version features a printed “anole lizard,” as a way of paying tribute to Costa Rican ecosystems.

The new coins will be available on the national market starting Tuesday, August 26th, with a face value of ¢50. On the same date, people will be able to purchase the color collectible version. There will be a total of 10,000 acrylic collectible coins and 7,000 coins in a case. They can be purchased in any presentation for ¢8,650.

Meanwhile, the bank reported that some 30 million ¢50 coins are already in circulation, but with the other reverse designs: the morpho butterfly, the panther frog, and the hawksbill turtle. The Central Bank added that it has a reserve of more than 70 million coins in a vault ready to be delivered as requests from banking institutions arise.

About the new ¢50 coin

The reverse of the new coin features the text “Tropical Dry Forest” and the original scientific names “Lagartija o anolis” and “Norops sericeus.” As part of the visual elements, the lizard is placed on a portion of the map of the tropical dry forest, as well as the year “2023” of the design approval by the bank’s Board of Directors.

The upper part of the coin’s obverse features the legends “República de Costa Rica” and “Banco Central de Costa Rica,” as well as the three raised bars at the bottom, making it easy to recognize.

The lizard depicted on the coin is a species typical of the dry tropical forest. It is small, with a slender body covered in small scales. Its legs are long and slender. The tail is long and very narrow. The dorsal background color ranges from light brown to gray; the dewlap of adult males ranges in color from yellow to orange, with a round purple spot in the center. It lives in the northwestern region of the country, at elevations up to 650 meters above sea level.

Upcoming Changes to the Coins

The Central Bank announced that new coins will be added to the Costa Rican payment system in the coming months. In September, there will be a new ¢25 coin commemorating the province of Guanacaste. Meanwhile, new ¢50 coins will enter circulation in October and November, featuring the animals the marine crab and the wild rabbit, respectively.

List of entities that will sell the ¢50 coin:

Banco de Costa Rica: 2,850

Banco Nacional: 2,400

Banco Popular y de Desarrollo Comunal: 1,200

BAC Credomatic: 1,050

Banco Promérica: 300

Scotiabank Costa Rica: 250

Grupo Mutual Alajuela La Vivienda: 1,400

Mutual Cartago de Ahorro y Préstamo: 800

Coopegrecia R.L.: 1,250

Coopeande R.L.: 500

Coopesanramón R.L.: 700

Coopenae R.L.: 500

Coopecar R.L.: 500

Costa Rican Numismatic Association: 1,000

Coopealianza R.L.: 1,000

Coopeande R.L.: 500

Museums of the Central Bank of Costa Rica: 375

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