Catalog
200 Pesos
| Issuer | Tesoro de la Isla de Cuba |
|---|---|
| Year | 1891 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
| 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 | Log in to see details |
| 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 | The obverse is dominated by a large red guilloche underprint bearing the numeral '200' at centre, over which intaglio allegorical figures are applied: a standing Justice with scales at left and a seated farm couple at right. The Spanish colonial arms appear at upper centre beneath the issuer legend 'EL TESORO DE LA ISLA DE CUBA', with the value 'DOSCIENTOS PESOS' on a central panel, the place of issue 'HABANA' within the text block, and serial numbers printed twice across the upper portion. Ornate lathe-work borders frame the entire composition. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | TESORO DE LA ISLA DE CUBA / DOSCIENTOS PESOS / 200 |
| 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 |
The Tesoro de la Isla de Cuba notes of 1891 were issued under Spanish colonial administration, functioning as treasury obligations rather than conventional bank notes — a distinction that affected how they circulated and how they were redeemed. By 1891, Cuban finances were under severe strain from debt servicing obligations imposed by Madrid, and this higher denomination would have moved primarily through commercial and governmental channels rather than everyday trade.
Bradbury, Wilkinson's engraving work for colonial and quasi-sovereign issuers was extensive in this period; the Cuban treasury series was one of several Latin American government contracts they held simultaneously through the 1880s and 1890s.