Catalog
5 Pesos 'C' Foreign Exchange Certificate-Round 'C'
| Issuer | Banco Nacional de Cuba |
|---|---|
| Year | 1985 |
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| Reference(s) | P#FX13 |
| Obverse description | The obverse is printed in teal blue and olive-yellow on a pale aqua ground. At left, the circular vignette of the Cuban national coat of arms is enclosed within a guilloche border inscribed BANCO NACIONAL DE CUBA; at centre, a large concentric-ring guilloche rosette in olive-yellow carries the denomination numeral '5' and the legend CINCO PESOS in teal letterpress. At right, an additional circular guilloche medallion bears a bold round 'C' overprint, the distinguishing mark of this series. Horizontal teal bars at top and bottom frame the design, with the serial number and series letters 'FE' placed at upper left and lower right respectively. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse is printed entirely in teal blue on a plain white ground with a faint concentric-ring guilloche underprint at centre. The denomination numeral '5' appears in each corner, and the central text CINCO PESOS is set in large display type overlying the guilloche. Above centre, a ruled line is headed FIRMA DEL TENEDOR / EN PRESENCIA DEL PAGADOR, while two further ruled lines at lower centre are captioned FECHA DE EMISION and FIRMA DEL TENEDOR respectively. A notice at foot reads CADUCA A LOS CINCO AÑOS DE EMITIDO, indicating the certificate's five-year validity period. |
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| Comments |
Cuba's Foreign Exchange Certificates were a parallel currency system designed to capture hard currency from tourists and diplomats while keeping it out of ordinary circulation. The "C" series — distinguished by an overprinted or incorporated round "C" device — circulated alongside, but strictly separately from, the peso convertible system that came later. Tourists were legally required to exchange foreign currency into these certificates; spending pesos alongside Cubans in the same peso economy was not the point.
Státní Tiskárna Cenin in Prague printed Cuban currency throughout much of the Cold War period, a natural arrangement given the bilateral trade agreements between Cuba and Czechoslovakia after 1960.