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50 Pesos
| Issuer | Banco Español de la Habana |
|---|---|
| Year | 1869-1879 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | 50 EL BANCO ESPAÑOL DE LA HABANA á la presentación de este billete pagará al portador CINCUENTA pesos fuertes en efectivo. Habana, 11 de Octubre de 1869. (Translation: The Spanish Bank of Havana Upon presentation of this note, the bearer will be paid Fifty Pesos Fuertes in cash. Havana, October 11, 1869.) |
| Reverse description | Plain paper reverse bearing a circular violet official control stamp inscribed 'DELITO PUBLICO' and anti-falsification text around the border, with the numeral '50' at its center. The remainder of the reverse is unprinted, showing the aged, hand-cut paper stock with fold lines consistent with circulation. |
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| Comments |
The Banco Español de la Habana was the sole bank of issue in colonial Cuba throughout this period, operating under a Spanish royal charter while relying almost entirely on American printing technology. The American Bank Note Company produced the bulk of Cuban colonial currency during these decades — a commercially pragmatic arrangement that sat awkwardly alongside Spain's political insistence on sovereignty over the island.
The late 1860s and 1870s were anything but stable in Cuba. The Ten Years' War (1868–1878) created severe fiscal pressure on colonial finances, and notes of this series circulated under conditions of open rebellion in the eastern provinces. That historical friction is probably why surviving examples from the earlier part of this date range are harder to locate than the nominal print run would suggest.