Caribbean P129m B912m 100p 2024 UNC—intaglio version 2024—Russian-printed Goznak

Caribbean P-129m 100 Pesos (CUP) 2024, Uncirculated. Printed in Russia by Goznak

Front

• Colors: red dominant engraving; watermark area on left
• Carlos Manuel de Céspedes portrait on right
• Issuer name (BANCO CENTRAL DE CUBA) on top; bank seal below portrait
• Face value in numerals top right and lower left; in letters (CIEN PESOS) at center
• Blue series letters and digits on left center and lower right; blue serial numbers (6 digits) on top left and lower center
• Red signature with subtitle on lower left; issuing year on lower left and upper right
• Raised Braille code (⠂⠴⠴) on top right for identification by the visually impaired
• Acronym "BCC" near right edge
• Signatures: Juana Lilia Delgado Portal (JLDP) — President of the Central Bank of Cuba
• Designer: Andrés Iser Alfonso

Back

• Colors: red dominant engraving
• Anti-Imperialist Tribune "José Martí," Havana — architectural view
• Portrait of José Martí on left
• Country name (REPUBLICA DE CUBA) on top; face value in numerals top left and lower right
• Designer: Andrés Iser Alfonso

Other Characteristics

• Varieties:
  • P-129a (2004, FSV, Serie AC)
  • P-129b (2005, FSV, Serie AD)
  • P-129c (2007, FSV, Serie AE)
  • P-129d (2008, FSV, Serie AF)
  • P-129e (2013, EMV, Serie AG)
  • P-129f (2014, EMV, Serie AH)
  • P-129g (2015, EMV, Serie AI)
  • P-129h (2016, EMV, Serie AJ)
  • TBB B912i (2017, IMMC, Serie AK)
  • TBB B912j (2019, IMMC, Serie AM)
  • TBB B912k (2020, MSWG, Serie AN)
  • TBB B912l (2021, MSWG, Serie AO)
  • TBB B912.5a (2023, JAV) — Mover
  • TBB B912m (2024, JLDP, Series AQA; Goznak) — this note
• Catalog numbers: P-129m; TBB B912m; Numista N#205113
• Watermark: Carlos Manuel de Céspedes and number 100
• Composition: Paper
• Size: 150 × 70 mm
• Issuing entity: Central Bank of Cuba (Banco Central de Cuba)
• Printer: Goznak, Russian Federation
• Demonetized: No — still legal tender
• Signatures: Juana Lilia Delgado Portal (JLDP) — President of the Central Bank of Cuba
• Currency: Cuban Peso (moneda nacional), 1914–date

The Man Who Lit the Fuse: Carlos Manuel de Céspedes

On October 10, 1868, a wealthy Cuban sugar planter did something almost no one in his position had ever done: he freed his enslaved workers, handed them weapons, and declared war on the Spanish Empire. Carlos Manuel de Céspedes rang the bell at his plantation, La Demajagua, and launched the Ten Years' War — Cuba's first major uprising for independence. He became the first President of the Republic in Arms, governing a revolutionary government that existed entirely in the jungle, under constant Spanish pursuit.

The Spanish captured his son Oscar and offered to release him in exchange for Céspedes surrendering. He refused, reportedly saying: "Oscar is not my only son — I am the father of all Cubans who have died for the Revolution." Oscar was executed. Céspedes fought on. He was eventually ambushed and killed in 1874 at San Lorenzo, alone, with a single pistol against a Spanish patrol. He died as he lived — defiant.

Cubans call him the "Father of the Homeland" (Padre de la Patria). His face on the 100-peso note is not decoration — it is a declaration.

The Tribune That Faces the Enemy: Anti-Imperialist Tribune "José Martí," Havana

Directly across from the U.S. Interests Section (now the U.S. Embassy) on the Malecón waterfront, the Tribuna Antiimperialista José Martí was built in 2000 as a permanent outdoor stage and rally ground — a piece of political architecture designed to be seen from American windows. The Cuban government used it for mass demonstrations, most famously during the Elián González crisis, when hundreds of thousands gathered to demand the return of the six-year-old boy who had been rescued at sea and was being held by relatives in Miami.

The tribune is dominated by a tall flagpole flying the Cuban flag, and flanked by a row of 138 black flags — one for each year since 1868, symbolizing mourning for those lost to imperialism. A large statue of José Martí stands at the center, arm outstretched, pointing directly at the American building across the street. The gesture is unmistakable.

It is one of the most politically charged pieces of public architecture in the Western Hemisphere — and it is immortalized on the reverse of this banknote.