1896 Cuba 10 Pesos Banknote – Banco Español de la Isla de Cuba – PLATA Overprint – Spanish Colonial Currency

Original 1896 Cuban 10 Pesos banknote issued by El Banco Español de la Isla de Cuba during the final years of Spanish colonial rule.

Dated Habana, 15 de Mayo de 1896, this large-format banknote was produced by the celebrated American Bank Note Company of New York and is cataloged as Pick P-49d in its printed-date, red PLATA overprint variety.

The front features a wonderfully detailed agricultural vignette depicting an ox-drawn cart loaded with sugar cane in a Cuban field, surrounded by elaborate late-19th-century engraving and large denomination counters.

The reverse displays the crowned Spanish coat of arms surrounded by intricate green guilloché engraving. Across the reverse is the prominent red “PLATA” overprint. This overprint identified notes associated with payment in silver rather than the earlier gold-backed issue—a particularly interesting feature of Cuban monetary history during the turbulent final years of Spanish rule.

Details: Cuba; Banco Español de la Isla de Cuba; 10 Pesos; May 15, 1896; serial no. 717284; Pick P-49d; red PLATA overprint; approximately 144 × 94 mm; printed by American Bank Note Company, New York.

Condition: Circulated antique condition with visible folds and creasing, age toning, staining/spotting, edge wear and general handling consistent with a banknote approximately 130 years old. The note remains complete with strong engraved detail and a clearly visible PLATA overprint. Please examine the photographs carefully—the photographs show the exact banknote offered for sale and form part of the condition description. This note has not been professionally graded, and no numerical grade is represented or guaranteed.

A handsome and historically fascinating piece for collectors of Cuban currency, Spanish colonial history, American Bank Note Company engraving, or 19th-century world paper money.