5 Pesos Heroic Guerrilla Fighter - Trial strike

Trial strikes — known in Cuban numismatic literature as piezas de prueba — were produced by the Casa de la Moneda for internal approval before authorizing full production runs. This piece predates the broader 1988–1990 Che Guevara commemorative gold program and likely served as a metallurgical or design confirmation strike rather than a circulation or collector issue. The KM and JMA cross-references suggest at least two distinct die or finish variants were documented, which is consistent with a multi-stage approval process.

Surviving examples are exceptionally rare by nature of function — most trial pieces were either returned to the mint or melted.