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50 Pesos Christopher Columbus
| Issuer | Banco Nacional de Cuba |
|---|---|
| Year | 1990 |
| Type | Non-circulating coin |
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|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | A draped bust of Christopher Columbus faces slightly to the right, rendered in a stylised, medallic portrait derived from historical iconography, with curled hair and period costume visible at the truncation. The bust is set within a beaded inner circle, above which a laurel wreath frames a cartouche at the apex. To the left of the bust, a fasces-like device with foliage is visible, and a dove with an olive branch appears to the right. The legend V CENTENARIO arcs across the upper field, with CRISTOBAL COLON inscribed along the lower-left arc and 1492 along the lower-right arc; the date 1990 appears at the base of the inner circle. Star ornaments flank the legends, and the entire design is enclosed by a rope-twist border. |
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| Additional information |
Cuba's gold commemorative program of the late 1980s and early 1990s was largely designed for export — hard currency generation for a government increasingly isolated following the Soviet bloc's collapse. These pieces circulated almost nowhere on the island itself, sold instead through foreign dealers and at international coin fairs while ordinary Cubans were legally prohibited from possessing gold coins.
The Columbus issues of 1990 anticipate the 1992 quincentennial of his first voyage, a commemoration that Cuba joined despite the broader Latin American debate over whether the arrival deserved celebration at all.