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25 Centavos
| Issuer | El Banco Español de la Habana |
|---|---|
| Year | 1872-1876 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | P#31 |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse is printed entirely in dark blue intaglio on a yellow-toned ground. A central oval vignette encloses an allegorical seated female figure wearing a laurel crown and holding a cornucopia of flowers, with further attributes at her feet, set against a lightly engraved landscape background. Flanking the central vignette are two large ornamental counter numerals «25» composed of interlocking scroll-work. The curved upper legend reads EL BANCO ESPAÑOL DE LA HABANA and the lower border bears the denomination VEINTE Y CINCO CENTAVOS, all enclosed within an elaborate guilloche border. |
| Reverse lettering | EL BANCO ESPAÑOL DE LA HABANA VEINTE Y CINCO CENTAVOS |
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| Comments |
El Banco Español de la Habana was the sole bank of issue in colonial Cuba during this period, operating under close supervision from Madrid. These small-denomination fractional notes emerged from a chronic shortage of hard currency on the island — a problem that plagued Cuba throughout the 1860s and 1870s as the Ten Years' War (1868–1878) disrupted commerce and drained coin from circulation.
The National Bank Note Company of New York was among the most technically accomplished security printers of the era, responsible for early U.S. federal currency. Their involvement here reflects the limited capacity of Spanish colonial infrastructure to produce credible fiduciary paper domestically.