My precious heirlooms

Hello, friends. Some time ago I made several publications about the passion of collecting antiques, especially coins and banknotes. On this occasion I intend to share with you the latest additions to my numismatic treasure. On this occasion, I managed to get my hands on two new specimens that are of a similar era to the vast majority of my collectibles that I have, but this does not make it any less interesting.

Most exciting of all is that this time, to get my hands on these wonderful banknotes, I had to pay with MLC, the Cuban virtual currency that has a value close to the USD.

Of the two bills, one is a 5 Cuban peso bill from 1950 which is a real marvel. On the obverse, there is a portrait of Máximo Gómez, a Dominican who fought alongside the Cuban mambises and became the main figure of the Cuban army together with Antonio Maceo. He is famous for having commanded the first "Carga al Machete" (Machete Charge) and occupied high positions in the leadership of the Mambi army. On the reverse, the Cuban coat of arms. This was printed by the American Banknote Corporation.

Now, let's move on to the next protagonist, a Cuban 10 peso bill from 1958. On the obverse, we come across the portrait of Carlos Manuel de Céspedes, the Father of the Homeland, who was the one who started the Mambo's heroic deeds in 1868, and to his right, the Demajagua tree, the place where he decided to free his slaves, risking everything for the freedom of his country. On the back, the coat of arms in the center, and on the sides, images of the Cuban dairy industry: cows on the left and the bottling process on the right, showing the importance of this productive line. This one was printed by De La Rue, a real beauty.

Both banknotes have a detail that makes me think of a country with a prosperous economy and it was so much so, since in the 50's of the last century the Cuban peso was internationally recognized and had a value that at times was higher than the American dollar. This is the reason why they have an inscription that says: Fully guaranteed with gold, convenient foreign exchange in gold and all other assets of the National Bank of Cuba. This bill constitutes an obligation of the Cuban State. Do you realize how serious these bills were? This is a dream for us Cubans. One more reason why I must appreciate them.

It is curious to remember that the Cuban currency, before the "Revolution", had an international commercial value, back then, Cuba was among the 50 most prosperous economies. How times have changed!

These bills are not only little pieces of paper with numbers and faces, they are witnesses of a golden era and of a Cuba that, in terms of finances, shone with its own light on the international scene. Will we ever see that prosperity? Personally, I have given up hope.

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Original Spanish text: Translated and formatted with Hive Translator by @noakmilo.
Twitter @bluisdey

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