50 Pesos 'C' Foreign Exchange Certificate-Round 'C'

Cuba's Foreign Exchange Certificate system was built to siphon hard currency away from the general peso economy. Tourists and diplomats were required to exchange dollars for these certificates, which were then accepted at dollar-equivalent prices in state-run Diplotiendas — shops otherwise inaccessible to ordinary Cubans holding pesos. The 'C' series, distinguished by a rounded overprint rather than the angular letters of earlier issues, circulated from 1985 and was specifically tied to the tourist circuit as the regime tightened controls on who could access imported goods.

Státní Tiskárna Cenin, the Czechoslovak security printer, handled the entire FX certificate run — a logical choice given Cuba's alignment with the Soviet bloc throughout this period.