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20 Pesos First Spanish Railroad
| Issuer | Banco Nacional de Cuba |
|---|---|
| Year | 1988 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| In circulation to | 1988 |
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| Obverse description | The Cuban national coat of arms is displayed at the centre of the field, featuring the shield quartered with a key, royal palm, and rising sun motif, superimposed upon a five-pointed star and flanked by a laurel and oak wreath below. The legend REPUBLICA DE CUBA arcs along the upper periphery, with BANCO NACIONAL DE CUBA inscribed in a secondary arc below it. The denomination 20 PESOS appears in bold relief along the lower rim. The overall design follows the standard heraldic style employed on Cuban commemorative coinage of the period. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
Cuba's first railroad, opened in 1837, predated Spain's own domestic rail network by several years — a curiosity of colonial infrastructure driven by sugar export economics rather than any particular interest in modernizing Cuban life. The line ran from Havana to Bejucal and was financed largely by the island's sugar oligarchy, who needed faster movement of product to port before it spoiled.
This 1988 issue belongs to a sustained Cuban commemorative program that leaned heavily on .999 silver large-format pieces during the late 1980s, targeting Western collector markets for hard currency at a time when the Cuban economy was under considerable strain.