Cuba maintained a dual-currency system from 1994 until 2021, running the domestic Cuban Peso alongside the convertible CUC pegged to the dollar. This coin circulated exclusively among the Cuban population, barred by design from the tourist economy. The 1994 start date is not coincidental — the Special Period following Soviet collapse had gutted the island's nickel supply, forcing a shift away from the earlier pure-nickel composition.
Cuba maintained a dual-currency system from 1994 until 2021, running the domestic Cuban Peso alongside the convertible CUC pegged to the dollar. This coin circulated exclusively among the Cuban population, barred by design from the tourist economy. The 1994 start date is not coincidental — the Special Period following Soviet collapse had gutted the island's nickel supply, forcing a shift away from the earlier pure-nickel composition.