Costa Rica will release a new ₡25 coin on Wednesday that pays tribute to Arenal Volcano, putting one of Alajuela’s best-known landmarks into the hands of collectors and, eventually, everyday users of the colón. The coin is the sixth of seven designs in the Central Bank’s “Emblematic Sites of Our Provinces” series, which highlights one recognizable site from each province.
The reverse side features Arenal Volcano and includes the inscriptions “Provincia de Alajuela,” “Volcán Arenal,” and the collection year “2023.” On the obverse, the coin carries the inscriptions “República de Costa Rica” and “Banco Central de Costa Rica,” along with two raised bars meant to help identify it by touch. The Central Bank says the coin also reflects the updated characteristics of Costa Rica’s new ₡25 series.
Collectors will be able to buy the commemorative version in two formats priced at ₡8,500 each: a deluxe case with a numbered certificate and an acrylic block with laser engraving. Online sales through BN Shop are set to begin at 9:30 a.m. on April 22. Banco Nacional’s published sales information says each buyer may purchase one unit per presentation, and confirmed buyers will later receive an email with pickup instructions. Deliveries are scheduled to begin on April 24 at Banco Nacional’s main office in San José.
The Central Bank said it has made 17,000 collectible coins available for this release, including 10,000 acrylic versions and 7,000 in presentation cases. Its broader distribution plan also includes other financial institutions across the country, with sales limits intended to keep the pieces from being snapped up by a small number of buyers.
The Arenal edition continues a series that has already spotlighted Manzanillo Beach in Limón, the lighthouse in Puntarenas, the Casona de Santa Rosa in Guanacaste, the Fortín in Heredia, and the Basilica of Our Lady of the Angels in Cartago. The seventh and final design in the series will honor San José’s National Theater.
A standard circulation version of the coin, without color on the design, will also begin entering the market on April 22 with its regular ₡25 face value. The Central Bank said the coin will be introduced gradually through the national financial system as older ₡25 pieces are replaced over the coming months.
The choice of Arenal was an easy one. The volcano remains one of Costa Rica’s most recognizable natural symbols and one of the country’s most visited destinations, linking the coin not only to provincial identity but also to travel, family memories and tourism. With the latest release, the series moves one step closer to completing a province-by-province portrait of Costa Rica in pocket-sized form.
