1 Peso Yellow Grouper

Cuba's 1994 wildlife series was produced during the "Periodo Especial en Tiempo de Paz" — the Special Period — when the Soviet subsidy collapse had gutted the island's economy and foreign currency was desperately needed. These colorized nickel-plated steel pieces were aimed squarely at the tourist and collector export market, not domestic circulation, at a moment when ordinary Cubans were banned from holding dollars.

KM#466 is one of several fauna issues from this year sharing the same planchet specification. The applied color on the reverse was added post-strike, a process that creates preservation challenges — handling almost invariably damages the finish before pieces reach a holder.