Catalog
| Issuer | Banco Nacional de Cuba |
|---|---|
| Year | 1981 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Engraver(s) | Charles Edward Barber |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The central design depicts the caravel Niña, one of the three vessels of Christopher Columbus's 1492 expedition to the Americas, shown under full sail on open seas. The legend DESCUBRIMIENTO DE AMERICA arcs along the upper periphery, referencing the Discovery of America. The date 1981 and the mint mark appear at the upper right of the field. The name of the vessel, NIÑA, is inscribed along the lower margin beneath the ship's hull. |
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| Edge | Reeded |
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| Additional information |
Cuba's foreign-currency collector coin program, launched in the late 1970s, was a deliberate hard-currency earner for a government locked out of dollar markets by the U.S. embargo. These pieces were never intended for domestic circulation — they were sold abroad through intermediaries, primarily to European and Latin American numismatic dealers, with proceeds bypassing the embargo's restrictions on direct financial transactions with Havana.
The two JMA reference numbers suggest this type exists in at least two distinct varieties, likely differentiated by finish or edge treatment rather than die design.