1 Peso Bee Hummingbird

Cuba's wildlife coin program of the early 1980s was driven partly by the need for hard currency — these collector issues were sold abroad through state channels while domestic circulation remained dominated by the parallel peso system. The Bee Hummingbird, endemic to Cuba and the smallest bird on earth, was a deliberate choice to project the island's unique biodiversity to foreign buyers.

KM#57 is a proof-only issue; examples found in circulated condition entered that state through handling after sale, not through actual monetary use.