Catalog
1 Peso
| Issuer | Banco Español de la Habana |
|---|---|
| Year | 1872-1883 |
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| Value | 1 Peso |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | EL BANCO ESPAÑOL DE LA HABANA UN PESO HABANA EL GOBERNADOR |
| Reverse description | Central intaglio vignette of Christopher Columbus standing at the bow of a ship at the moment of landfall, with a kneeling figure before him and crew members visible in the background against an open sea. The vignette is enclosed within an oval frame and surrounded by an elaborate symmetrical guilloche underprint in green, composed of repeating rosette and lathe-work ornaments filling the entire reverse field. Numeral "1" counters are positioned at each corner within the decorative border. |
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| Comments |
The Banco Español de la Habana was the sole authorized bank of issue in Cuba during the colonial period, operating under a royal charter that gave it a near-monopoly on credit on the island. This note falls within the years of the Ten Years' War's aftermath and the subsequent Chica War — chronic instability that repeatedly undermined confidence in paper instruments issued from Havana. The bank's notes circulated uneasily alongside Spanish treasury obligations, and redemption in specie was more promise than practice for much of this period.
The National Bank Note Company, which printed this series, ceased independent operations in 1879 when it merged into the American Bank Note Company — meaning later dates in the 1872–1883 range were almost certainly fulfilled by the successor firm using inherited plates.