10 Centavos

El Banco Español de la Isla de Cuba issued this note in 1897 — two years into the Cuban War of Independence and one year before Spain lost the island entirely. The bank had been the sole authorized issuer on Cuba since 1856, a privilege that became increasingly precarious as colonial authority collapsed around it. By the time these notes were printed, much of the interior of Cuba was under insurgent control, and Spanish-issued currency was being refused or discounted in rebel-held areas.

The American Bank Note Company, which had long handled Spanish colonial printing contracts, produced the plate in New York — a quiet irony given what was coming in 1898.