1 Peso 'A' Foreign Exchange Certificate

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.