1 Peso Cuban Rock Iguana Head

Cuba's 1980s wildlife conservation series was produced largely for the international collector market rather than domestic circulation, a common revenue strategy among Caribbean states during the dollar-scarce years of Cold War socialism. The iguana issues in particular were targeted at European numismatic distributors, with the Cuban state mint working through intermediaries to convert hard currency.

The Cuban rock iguana, Cyclura nubila, was listed under CITES Appendix II by the time this coin appeared.