Cuba issued a sprawling series of commemorative pesos throughout the 1990s targeting the international collector market rather than domestic circulation — hard currency was the point, not spending money. This piece marks the Paris leg of the Expo 2000 promotional tour, a pre-millennial push by participating nations to generate foreign exchange through coin sales ahead of the Hanover exposition itself.
Nickel-plated steel was the practical choice for a coin nobody intended to spend.
Cuba issued a sprawling series of commemorative pesos throughout the 1990s targeting the international collector market rather than domestic circulation — hard currency was the point, not spending money. This piece marks the Paris leg of the Expo 2000 promotional tour, a pre-millennial push by participating nations to generate foreign exchange through coin sales ahead of the Hanover exposition itself.
Nickel-plated steel was the practical choice for a coin nobody intended to spend.