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5 Pesos Cuban Crocodile
| Issuer | Banco Nacional de Cuba |
|---|---|
| Year | 1981 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 12 g |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | REPUBLICA DE CUBA 12 G. 5 PESOS AG 0.999 (Translation: Republic of Cuba 12g. 5 Pesos silver 0.999) |
| Reverse description | A highly detailed, naturalistic depiction of a Cuban crocodile (Crocodylus rhombifer) fills the central field, rendered in fine relief showing the characteristic scaly dorsal texture and robust body profile in lateral view. A stylized royal palm tree rises in the upper left background. The date 1981 appears in the upper right field beneath a small mint mark symbol. The curved legend FAUNA CUBANA arcs along the upper periphery, while COCODRILO is inscribed in bold raised letters along the lower rim. |
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| Additional information |
Cuba's early 1980s wildlife silver series was part of a broader hard-currency strategy — Havana minted collector coins almost exclusively for export sale, targeting the Western numismatic market to generate foreign exchange the embargo otherwise choked off. The Cuban crocodile (Crocodylus rhombifer), endemic to the Zapata Swamp and one of the most critically endangered crocodilians on earth, was a deliberate choice: an animal found nowhere else, for a coin sold to people who would never visit.
KM#74 exists in two catalogued varieties under the JMA references, distinguishable by subtle die differences rather than finish type.