Name/Title
Banknote, 10 pesos, Banco Nacional de Cuba, Serie de 1960, serial Z447836AEntry/Object ID
2025.20.32Description
Horizontal banknote, black and dark brown printing on a pale brown/pink underprint, on cream paper. Obverse: title panel BANCO NACIONAL DE CUBA across the top; at center a vignette of the ruined machinery of the Demajagua sugar mill — two large iron gear wheels and a spoked flywheel beneath a spreading tree; at right an oval portrait of Carlos Manuel de Céspedes flanked by laurel; at left a red circular seal of the bank over which DIEZ PESOS is printed in black. Serial number twice in red. Reverse: REPUBLICA DE CUBA across the top, the Cuban coat of arms in a cartouche at center, a vignette of cattle beneath a tree at left, and a milk-bottling plant with two workers at a filling line and conveyor at right; printer’s imprint at the foot.Use
Leopoldo Arús Caraballo kept few of these newContext
Issued in the first years of the revolutionary government, during the nationalization of the banking system. The two vignettes are a deliberate pairing of national origin-myth with contemporary economic program: the Demajagua mill is where Céspedes freed his slaves and launched the war of 1868, while the reverse shows the state dairy industry. The obverse text still promises full convertibility into gold — a formula inherited from the pre-revolutionary note series and shortly to become obsolete.Acquisition
Accession
2025.20Acquisition Method
GiftMade/Created
Time Period
1960sPlace of Origin
City
HavanaCountry
CubaRegion
Caribbean, Central AmericaNotes
Printing almost certainly 1960 or 1961: the Guevara signature caps it at his 23 February 1961 departure from the bank, though signatures on plate may persist slightly beyond a tenure.
Printer: Thomas De La Rue & Company, Limited, London — CONFIRMED from the imprint on the reverse. English security printer.
Key people (signatories): Ernesto “Che” Guevara de la Serna (1928–1967), President of the Banco Nacional de Cuba, 26 Nov 1959 – 23 Feb 1961; Rolando Díaz Aztaraín, Minister of Finance from 18 March 1960.Banknote Details
Banknote Type
National Bank NoteCurrency
Cuban PesoDenomination
10Issuing Authority
Banco Nacional de CubaSerial Number
Z447836AObverse
Description
Inscription/Signature/Mark
Obverse, printed:
• BANCO NACIONAL DE CUBA
• SERIE DE 1960 (twice, flanking the center)
• 10 / PESOS / DIEZ PESOS (multiple positions)
• DIEZ PESOS in black over the red seal at left
• CARLOS MANUEL DE CESPEDES (below the portrait)
• PRESIDENTE DEL BANCO / MINISTRO DE HACIENDA
• 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.
Translation: “Fully guaranteed by gold, convertible foreign exchange, and all other assets of the National Bank of Cuba. This note constitutes an obligation of the Cuban State.”
Two manuscript signatures at bottom.Reverse
Description
Reverse, printed: REPUBLICA DE CUBA; 10 (×4); DIEZ PESOS (×2); 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. Translation: “This note is legal tender with unlimited discharging power, in accordance with the law, for payment of any obligation contracted or to be fulfilled in the national territory.”; imprint: THOMAS DE LA RUE & COMPANY, LIMITED, LONDON.Composition
Material
PaperMaterial Notes
Banknote paper (rag-content security paper, INFERRED); intaglio and letterpress printing inks. Graphite pencil (later annotation).Relationships
Related Person or Organization
Person or Organization
Leopoldo Arús CaraballoNotes
OwnerRelated Places
Place
City
HavanaCountry
CubaRegion
Caribbean, Central AmericaNotes
PreservationCreated By
María A. Cabrera ArúsCreate Date
August 3, 2026Updated By
María A. Cabrera ArúsUpdate Date
August 3, 2026
