3 Pesos

El Banco Español de la Habana was the dominant colonial financial institution in Cuba throughout the 1870s, operating under Spanish crown authority during one of the island's most turbulent decades — the Ten Years' War had concluded in 1878, leaving the colonial economy badly stressed and the bank's circulating notes under real public scrutiny.

The National Bank Note Company ceased independent operations in 1879 when it merged with the American Bank Note Company, meaning plates produced during its active years between 1861 and 1872 may have been completed or reprinted under the successor firm. The date range on this issue almost certainly reflects exactly that transition.