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50 Pesos First Spanish Railroad, Piedfort
| Issuer | Banco Nacional de Cuba |
|---|---|
| Year | 1989 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 50 Pesos (50 CUP) |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A detailed engraving of the historic steam locomotive used on the Barcelona–Mataró railway line, the first railway to operate in Spain, occupies the central field. A curved legend arcing along the upper and lateral periphery reads 140 ANIV. DEL 1er FERROCARRIL ESPAÑOL, commemorating the 140th anniversary of the line's inauguration. Above the locomotive image, the inscriptions oro fino, 1/2 OZ., and 0.999 denote fineness and weight, accompanied by the mintmark and the legend BARCELONA - MATARÓ. The commemorative year 1989 appears above the engine, while the anniversary dates 1848 - 1988 are inscribed below. The composition mirrors the regular-issue KM#315 reverse. |
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| Reverse lettering | 140 ANIV. DEL 1er FERROCARRIL ESPAÑOL oro fino 1/2 OZ. 0.999 BARCELONA - MATARÓ 1989 1848 - 1988 (Translation: 140th Anniversary of the First Spanish Railroad pure gold 1/2 ounce 0.999 Barcelona - Mataró 1989 1848 - 1988) |
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| Additional information |
Cuba's first railroad, inaugurated in November 1837, predates Spain's own first domestic rail line by nearly a decade — a fact that embarrassed metropolitan officials at the time and has been a point of Cuban pride ever since. The Havana-to-Güines line was financed largely by sugar plantation owners who needed faster routes to port, not by colonial administrators.
Piedfort issues from the Banco Nacional's 1989 program were struck at double the standard planchet thickness and distributed primarily through European numismatic channels, as U.S. embargo restrictions had long since cut off the obvious collector market.