1 Peso Pattern

Cuba's 1870 pattern coinage was produced in the context of the Ten Years' War, the first major uprising against Spanish colonial rule that began in 1868. Spain was simultaneously exploring administrative reforms — including limited autonomy proposals — and these pattern strikes reflect an attempt to imagine a distinct Cuban monetary identity before any such autonomy was ever granted. The copper version is the scarcer of the known trial pieces for this type, with the silver and gold strikes attracting more attention historically, leaving copper examples underexamined.