1 Peso José Martí

Issued to mark the centenary of José Martí's birth, this was one of the last silver peso strikes Cuba produced before the Batista government abandoned the denomination's silver content entirely. The 1953 date carries particular weight: the centenary celebrations were also the stated political justification Fidel Castro used for the July 26th attack on the Moncada Barracks, framing armed revolt as an act of patriotic commemoration. A commemorative coin and an insurgency, sharing the same pretext in the same year.

Mintage ran into the millions, keeping circulated survivors plentiful. Uncirculated pieces are easy to find — the coin was widely hoarded from the start.