5 Centavos de Córdoba NIO #378

Front

Francisco Hernández de Córdoba (c. 1475–1526), Spanish conquistador who founded the cities of Granada and León in Nicaragua in 1524, after whom the Nicaraguan córdoba currency is named. He was executed by Pedrarias Dávila in 1526 during power struggles in early colonial Central America. The note honors him as a founder of modern Nicaragua despite the colonial context.

Back

The coat of arms of Nicaragua featuring an equilateral triangle representing equality, with five volcanoes between two oceans symbolizing the five original Central American republics, a rainbow for peace, and a Phrygian cap for liberty. To the right is the Sacuanjoche (Plumeria rubra), Nicaragua's national flower since 1971, representing beauty and the natural wealth of the nation.

History

This 5 centavos note belongs to the córdoba series issued after Nicaragua's monetary reform of 1991, when the new córdoba (also called córdoba oro) replaced the previous córdoba at a rate of 1:5,000,000 following severe hyperinflation in the late 1980s. The centavo denominations (1/100 of a córdoba) were issued briefly in the 1990s but quickly became obsolete due to continued inflation and were demonetized. Harrison & Sons Limited, the British security printer, produced this note. The serial prefix A/B indicates an early printing within the series. While no specific issue year is printed on this note, the signature combination and series design place it in the early-to-mid 1990s, most likely 1991–1995.