20 Pesos Máximo Gómez

Máximo Gómez was Dominican-born, a fact that created genuine political awkwardness for Cuban nationalists during his lifetime — he could never hold elected office in the republic he helped found. The 1977 commemorative issue appeared under Castro's government as part of a broader hard-currency export program, with silver proof sets sold internationally to generate foreign exchange that the U.S. embargo made chronically scarce.