Name/Title
Banknote, 10 pesos, Banco Nacional de Cuba, Serie de 1960Entry/Object ID
2025.20.35Description
Rectangular intaglio-printed banknote. Obverse in black and dark green on a pink-buff ground; reverse in reddish brown.
Obverse: BANCO NACIONAL DE CUBA across the top. At center, an oval portrait of Carlos Manuel de Céspedes, named beneath the vignette, flanked by branches. DIEZ at left in shaded capitals, overprinted with a red circular seal of the Banco Nacional de Cuba bearing a five-pointed star. At right, 10 over PESOS. SERIE DE 1960 twice, at upper left and center right. Serial printed twice, upper right and left. 10 in ornamental corner medallions. Signatures at lower left and right above their titles. Gold-convertibility clause in a panel along the bottom; printer's imprint beneath.
Reverse: REPUBLICA DE CUBA across the top. At center, the coat of arms of Cuba in an oval — key, palm, bicolor field — framed by branches and scrollwork on a radiating engine-turned ground. DIEZ PESOS in panels left and right; 10 and DIEZ at all four corners. Legal-tender legend along the bottom; printer's imprint beneath.Context
As recorded for the one-peso note: the gold-convertibility clause promises full backing in gold and convertible foreign exchange, printed into an issue dated to the year of the nationalizations. ⚠️ The Céspedes portrait — the Padre de la Patria, who initiated the 1868 war of independence — sits within the standard nineteenth-century-independence iconography of Cuban currency, alongside Martí on the one peso.Acquisition
Accession
2025.20Acquisition Method
GiftMade/Created
Bureau
American Bank Note CompanyDate made
1960Time Period
1960sManufacture Method
Intaglio PrintingNotes
Signatories: Felipe Pazos, Presidente del Banco (in post until 26 November 1959); Rufo López Fresquet, Ministro de Hacienda (1959 to 17 March 1960; lived 1911 – 2 August 1983).
⚠️ Designer and engraver not established.Banknote Details
Banknote Type
National Bank NoteCurrency
Cuban PesoDenomination
10Issuing Authority
Banco Nacional de CubaProduction Dates
1960Serial Number
C844888AObverse
Transcription
BANCO NACIONAL DE CUBA; SERIE DE 1960 (twice); DIEZ / 10 PESOS / PESOS — ten pesos; C844888A (twice); CARLOS MANUEL DE CESPEDES beneath the portrait; PRESIDENTE DEL BANCO over Felipe Pazos; MINISTRO DE HACIENDA over Rufo López Fresquet; GARANTIZADO INTEGRAMENTE CON EL ORO, CAMBIO EXTRANJERO CONVERTIBLE EN ORO Y TODOS LOS DEMAS ACTIVOS DEL BANCO NACIONAL DE CUBA. ESTE BILLETE CONSTITUYE UNA OBLIGACION DEL ESTADO CUBANO. — Guaranteed in full by gold, foreign exchange convertible into gold, and all other assets of the Banco Nacional de Cuba. This note constitutes an obligation of the Cuban State. AMERICAN BANK NOTE COMPANY. Red seal legend: BANCO NACIONAL DE CUBA around a star, with DIEZ PESOS ⚠️ partly obscured; verify in hand.Reverse
Transcription
REPUBLICA DE CUBA; DIEZ PESOS / DIEZ / 10; ESTE BILLETE TIENE CURSO LEGAL Y FUERZA LIBERATORIA ILIMITADA, DE ACUERDO CON LA LEY, PARA EL PAGO DE TODA OBLIGACION CONTRAIDA O A CUMPLIR EN EL TERRITORIO NACIONAL. — This note is legal tender with unlimited discharging power, in accordance with the law, for the payment of every obligation contracted or to be performed in the national territory. AMERICAN BANK NOTE COMPANY.Composition
Material
PaperMaterial Notes
Banknote paper, intaglio-printed in black, green and reddish brown with a red overprinted seal. ⚠️ Security features not assessed; examine in transmitted light.Condition
Overall Condition
Very GoodRelationships
Related Places
Place
City
HavanaCountry
CubaRegion
Caribbean, Central AmericaPlace
Country
U.S.A.Continent
North AmericaCreated By
María A. Cabrera ArúsCreate Date
September 8, 2026Updated By
María A. Cabrera ArúsUpdate Date
September 9, 2026
