Catalog
50 Centavos Countermarked
| Issuer | Cuba |
|---|---|
| Year | 1872-1877 |
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| Composition | Silver (.894) |
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| Obverse description | Host coin design: Heraldic American Bald Eagle displayed with wings spread, clutching a bundle of arrows in the sinister talon and an olive branch in the dexter talon. A scroll above the eagle bears the motto E PLURIBUS UNUM, with the legend UNITED STATES OF AMERICA arranged peripherally. The denomination 50 C. appears in the exergue below the eagle. A small oval Key countermark, applied by Cuban authorities, is struck onto the host coin surface. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
Spain authorized a countermarking program for Cuba in the 1870s to validate existing Spanish colonial coinage for continued circulation on the island, a bureaucratic stopgap during a period when fresh mint supply from Madrid was inconsistent. The KM#R5.2 designation specifically identifies pieces countermarked over 50 centavos host coins, distinguishing them from the broader series applied to different denominations.
The Ten Years' War, which consumed Cuba from 1868 to 1878, severely disrupted normal monetary supply chains to the island.