José Martí died on May 19, 1895, killed by Spanish rifle fire at Dos Ríos within weeks of returning to Cuba to fight — a death that immediately transformed him from revolutionary organizer into martyr. Cuba's government has issued commemorative gold around his anniversaries with considerable regularity, and the 2001 centenary issue falls into that pattern. KM#822 was struck at a reported mintage low enough to keep it a collector-only piece; it never approached general circulation.
José Martí died on May 19, 1895, killed by Spanish rifle fire at Dos Ríos within weeks of returning to Cuba to fight — a death that immediately transformed him from revolutionary organizer into martyr. Cuba's government has issued commemorative gold around his anniversaries with considerable regularity, and the 2001 centenary issue falls into that pattern. KM#822 was struck at a reported mintage low enough to keep it a collector-only piece; it never approached general circulation.