Catalog
1 Peso 'A' Foreign Exchange Certificate
| Issuer | Banco Nacional de Cuba |
|---|---|
| Year | 1985 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Cuban Peso (moneda nacional, 1914-date) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Printer | Log in to see details |
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| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | A vignette of the Castillo San Salvador de la Punta in Havana, constructed in 1600, occupies the central field. The face value appears as a numeral at upper left and lower right, while the spelled-out denomination fills the remaining two corners. |
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| Protection type | Watermark |
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| Comments |
Cuba ran parallel currency systems for decades, and the Foreign Exchange Certificate series was a deliberate mechanism for extracting hard currency from tourists and foreign workers while keeping convertible pesos out of ordinary domestic circulation. The 'A' series, introduced in 1985, was designated specifically for use by non-socialist visitors — a separate 'B' series circulated among Soviet-bloc nationals, reflecting the ideological sorting that ran through every layer of Cuban economic policy at the time.
Státní Tiskárna Cenin in Prague printed these notes, a logical choice given Cuba's deep commercial ties with Czechoslovakia throughout the Cold War period. The FX certificate system was eventually abolished in 1994 when Cuba introduced the Convertible Peso.