5 Lempiras Customs Note

Honduras issued customs notes — pagarés de aduana — as a parallel instrument tied directly to import duties, distinct from the general circulation notes of the Banco Central. The 1937 date places this squarely in the Carías Andino dictatorship, when fiscal controls over customs revenue were politically significant; the port receipts flowing through Puerto Cortés and La Ceiba were among the most closely watched revenue streams in the country.

ABNC produced these on contract, as they did for much of Central America during the period. The printing specification — a relatively large sheet for a five-unit denomination — suggests limited-quantity official use rather than hand-to-hand trade.