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Souvenir Peso Date widely spaced, Bronze pattern
| Issuer | Cuba |
|---|---|
| Year | 1897 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| In circulation to | 8 July 1897 |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A draped female bust representing the Republic faces right, dividing the date 18 97 with the numerals widely spaced on either side. The patriotic motto curves along the upper periphery within a beaded border, while the word SOUVENIR appears in the exergue below, accompanied by the patent notation PAT. 97. The overall design reflects the aspirational iconography of Cuban independence, engraved by Philip Martiny. |
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| Reverse lettering | * PATRIA Y LIBERTAD * 18 97 PAT. 97. SOUVENIR (Translation: Fatherland and freedom 1897 Patent 97 Souvenir) |
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| Additional information |
This piece belongs to a small run of pattern strikings produced in 1897 as the Cuban independence movement was reaching its most violent phase — the final years of the Ten Years' War's successor conflict, the Guerra Necesaria. The "souvenir peso" designation reflects its origin as a promotional or commemorative object rather than a circulating proposal, likely produced for sympathizers of the Cuban cause in the United States, where significant fundraising and political lobbying for Cuban independence was concentrated.
The wide date spacing distinguishes this bronze striking from its close-date counterpart, suggesting at minimum two obverse die states were prepared — unusual attention for what was essentially a propaganda piece with no monetary authorization behind it.