Catalog
10 Centavos
| Issuer | El Banco Español de la Habana |
|---|---|
| Year | 1872-1883 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Printer | Compañía Nacional de Billetes de Banco, New York City, United States |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | At upper left, a crowned royal coat of arms vignette flanked by the series letter designation; the issuer's name 'El Banco Español de la Habana' is inscribed across the upper portion. The central text body carries the bearer clause in Spanish, with the large numeral '10' to the right and the denomination 'DIEZ CENTAVOS' in bold letterpress below. A manuscript date referencing Habana and handwritten signatures appear in the lower portion, with a red serial number printed across the foot of the note; the border is composed of repeated guilloche ornamental bands carrying the denomination in text. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | EL BANCO ESPAÑOL DE LA HABANA / a la presentación de este billete, pagará al portador / DIEZ CENTAVOS / En Habana / EL GOBERNADOR / Compañía Nacional de Billetes de Banco Nueva York / DIEZ CENTAVOS 10 DIEZ CENTAVOS 10 DIEZ CENTAVOS |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | Log in to see details |
| Variants | Log in to see details |
| Comments |
El Banco Español de la Habana was the only bank of issue in Cuba during Spanish colonial rule, and its authority to print fractional notes like this one came directly from the colonial administration in Madrid — a concession that generated considerable resentment from Cuban merchants who had little say in monetary policy. The decade spanning this series was turbulent: the Ten Years' War had recently ended (1878), and the island's economy was still absorbing the disruption.
The printer, Compañía Nacional de Billetes de Banco, was the New York arm of the American Bank Note Company's broader network, operating under a separate corporate name during this period.