Catalog
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| Issuer | Cuba |
|---|---|
| Year | 1981 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Milled |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | A detailed left-facing profile view of the caravel Santa Maria under full sail dominates the central field, rendered with fine engraved rigging, masts, and billowing sails. The legend DESCUBRIMIENTO DE AMERICA curves along the upper periphery, with the date 1981 and a mintmark appearing at the upper right of the field. The name SANTA MARIA is inscribed in the lower exergue, identifying the vessel. |
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| Additional information |
Cuba issued this coin as part of a broader series of collector-oriented pieces produced through the 1980s, a period when the Castro government actively used commemorative coinage as a hard-currency earning tool — sold abroad for convertible foreign exchange while domestic circulation ran on a parallel peso system. The Santa María series tied into the lead-up to the 1992 quincentenary of Columbus's first voyage, with Cuban state mint programs building inventory nearly a decade in advance.
The copper-nickel strikes were produced alongside silver versions of the same design, intended for different export markets.