{"product_id":"cuba-km-62-1-peso-1981-unc-boxing-caribbean-games","title":"Caribbean || KM#62 1 Peso 1981 CIrculated VF—Boxing—XIV Central American \u0026 Caribbean Games","description":"\u003cp\u003eA mintage of just 5,000 pieces. A sport Cuba dominated so thoroughly it won 11 of 12 boxing categories at the 1982 Games. This copper-nickel peso is one of the sharpest commemorative coins to come out of the Castro era — and one of the rarest in the XIV Caribbean Games series.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eObverse\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Coat_of_arms_of_Cuba\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eCuban coat of arms\u003c\/a\u003e at center — featuring the royal palm, rising sun over the sea, and the \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Gorro_frigio\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ePhrygian cap\u003c\/a\u003e of liberty\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCountry name above: REPUBLICA DE CUBA\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFace value below: ★ 1 PESO ★\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEngraver: \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Charles_E._Barber\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eCharles Edward Barber\u003c\/a\u003e (U.S. Mint Chief Engraver, 1879–1917) — the original die design dates to Cuba's early republican coinage\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eReverse\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThree boxers in action — a dynamic multi-figure composition capturing the sport Cuba made its own\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCircular legend above: XIV JUEGOS CENTROAMERICANOS Y DEL CARIBE (14th Central American and Caribbean Games)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIssue date below image: 1981\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEvent location and year: CUBA 82\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEngraver: Luis Rodríguez García-Casariego\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eOther Characteristics\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCatalog numbers: KM-62; JMA AAEE076; Numista N#25853\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eComposition: \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Cupronickel\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eCopper-nickel\u003c\/a\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWeight: 11.3 g\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDiameter: 29.9 mm\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThickness: 2 mm\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEdge: Plain\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTechnique: Milled\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOrientation: Coin alignment (↑↓)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMintage: 5,000\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMint: \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Casa_de_la_Moneda_de_Cuba\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eEmpresa Cubana de Aculaciones\u003c\/a\u003e, Havana, Cuba (die templates produced in Spain)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDemonetized: Yes (1981) — issued as a \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Demonetization_(currency)\" target=\"_blank\"\u003enon-circulating commemorative\u003c\/a\u003e; never intended for everyday use\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSeries: \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Central_American_and_Caribbean_Games\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eCentral American and Caribbean Games\u003c\/a\u003e commemorative series\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCurrency: \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Cuban_peso\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eCuban Peso\u003c\/a\u003e (moneda nacional, 1914–date)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOfficial language: \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Spanish_language\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eSpanish\u003c\/a\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eAbout Cuba\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOrigin of name: \"Cuba\" likely derives from the \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Ta%C3%ADno_people\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eTaino\u003c\/a\u003e word \u003cem\u003eCubao\u003c\/em\u003e (\"where fertile land is abundant\") or \u003cem\u003eCoabana\u003c\/em\u003e (\"great place\"); the exact etymology remains debated\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCapital: \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Havana\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eHavana\u003c\/a\u003e (city pop. ~2.1 million; metro pop. ~2.4 million)\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOrigin of name: Havana derives from \u003cem\u003eLa Habana\u003c\/em\u003e, likely named after the Taino chief \u003cem\u003eHabaguanex\u003c\/em\u003e, who controlled the area when Spanish settlers arrived in the early 16th century\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePopulation: ~11 million (UN est.) — similar to Ohio or Portugal\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eArea: 109,884 km² (42,426 mi²) — similar to Tennessee or Bulgaria\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGDP per capita at \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Purchasing_power_parity\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ePPP\u003c\/a\u003e: ~$12,300 (est.) — official figures are unreliable; the dual-currency system and black market distort all measurements\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMain exports: Nickel, tobacco, sugar, rum, pharmaceuticals, and medical services (Cuba exports doctors to allied nations as a form of diplomacy)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBorders: No land borders — island nation; maritime neighbors include \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/United_States\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eUnited States\u003c\/a\u003e (north), \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Haiti\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eHaiti\u003c\/a\u003e and \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Dominican_Republic\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eDominican Republic\u003c\/a\u003e (east), \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Jamaica\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eJamaica\u003c\/a\u003e (south)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOfficial\/spoken language: \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Spanish_language\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eSpanish\u003c\/a\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEthnicities: \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/White_Cubans\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eWhite Cuban\u003c\/a\u003e (~64%); \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Afro-Cubans\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eAfro-Cuban\u003c\/a\u003e (~27%); \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Mestizo\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eMestizo\/Mulato\u003c\/a\u003e (~9%)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMemberships: \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/United_Nations\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eUnited Nations\u003c\/a\u003e (founding member, 1945); \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Non-Aligned_Movement\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eNon-Aligned Movement\u003c\/a\u003e (joined 1961; hosted the 1979 summit); \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/ALBA\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eALBA\u003c\/a\u003e (founding member, 2004); \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Group_of_77\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eG77\u003c\/a\u003e;\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSovereignty:\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Ta%C3%ADno_people\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eTaino\u003c\/a\u003e and other indigenous peoples (pre-1492)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Spanish_colonization_of_the_Americas\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eSpanish colonial rule\u003c\/a\u003e (1492–1898) — one of Spain's last and most prized colonies; sugar and slavery defined the economy for centuries\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Ten_Years%27_War\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eTen Years' War\u003c\/a\u003e (1868–1878) and \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Cuban_War_of_Independence\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eWar of Independence\u003c\/a\u003e (1895–1898) — prolonged struggle against Spanish rule; \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Jos%C3%A9_Mart%C3%AD\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eJosé Martí\u003c\/a\u003e becomes the independence movement's defining martyr\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Spanish%E2%80%93American_War\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eSpanish-American War\u003c\/a\u003e (1898) — U.S. intervention ends Spanish rule; Cuba becomes a U.S. protectorate under the \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Platt_Amendment\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ePlatt Amendment\u003c\/a\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFirst Republic (1902–1959) — nominal independence; heavy U.S. economic and political influence; \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fulgencio_Batista\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eBatista\u003c\/a\u003e dictatorship (1952–1959)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Cuban_Revolution\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eCuban Revolution\u003c\/a\u003e (1959) — \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fidel_Castro\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eFidel Castro\u003c\/a\u003e and the \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/26th_of_July_Movement\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e26th of July Movement\u003c\/a\u003e overthrow Batista; socialist state established\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Bay_of_Pigs_Invasion\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eBay of Pigs\u003c\/a\u003e (1961) and \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Cuban_Missile_Crisis\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eCuban Missile Crisis\u003c\/a\u003e (1962) — Cuba becomes the epicenter of Cold War confrontation\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSecond Republic \/ Socialist state (1959–date) — Fidel Castro (1959–2008), Raúl Castro (2008–2021), \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Miguel_D%C3%ADaz-Canel\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eMiguel Díaz-Canel\u003c\/a\u003e (2021–date); \u003cstrong\u003ethis coin issued during this period\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eCuba Unfiltered\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCuba has won more \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Cuba_at_the_Olympics\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eOlympic boxing medals\u003c\/a\u003e per capita than any nation on earth. At the 1972 Munich Games, Cuban boxers won 3 gold medals in their Olympic debut. By the time this coin was struck, Cuban boxing was the undisputed global standard.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/United_States_embargo_against_Cuba\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eU.S. embargo against Cuba\u003c\/a\u003e, in place since 1962, is one of the longest-running economic blockades in modern history. Cuba calls it \u003cem\u003eel bloqueo\u003c\/em\u003e — the blockade. The U.S. calls it an embargo. A blockade of fuel shipments in 2026 has brought the island to a standstill, without fuel and thus also electricity to a large extent for telecommunications, transportation, industry and agriculture.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCuba has one of the highest doctor-to-patient ratios in the world — and exports physicians to over 60 countries as a form of \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Cuban_medical_internationalism\" target=\"_blank\"\u003emedical diplomacy\u003c\/a\u003e, generating billions in revenue for the state.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Cuban_convertible_peso\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eCuban convertible peso (CUC)\u003c\/a\u003e ran parallel to the regular peso for decades, creating a two-tier economy where tourists and the state operated in a different currency than ordinary Cubans. It was abolished in 2021.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCuba's \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Literacy_Campaign_(Cuba)\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e1961 literacy campaign\u003c\/a\u003e sent 250,000 volunteers into the countryside and reduced the illiteracy rate from ~24% to under 4% in a single year — one of the most dramatic literacy drives in history.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDespite decades of economic hardship, at least up until the COVID pandemic, Cuba maintained a \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Healthcare_in_Cuba\" target=\"_blank\"\u003euniversal healthcare system\u003c\/a\u003e with life expectancy comparable to the United States — a statistic that confounds critics and supporters alike.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eThe Games Cuba Made Its Own\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1982_Central_American_and_Caribbean_Games\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eXIV Central American and Caribbean Games\u003c\/a\u003e were held August 7–18, 1982, across three Cuban cities: \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Havana\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eHavana\u003c\/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Santiago_de_Cuba\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eSantiago de Cuba\u003c\/a\u003e, and \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Cienfuegos\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eCienfuegos\u003c\/a\u003e. Cuba didn't just host — it dominated. In boxing alone, Cuban athletes claimed 11 of 12 available gold medals. \u003cstrong\u003eThis coin was struck to commemorate exactly that.\u003c\/strong\u003e The three boxers on the reverse are not generic figures; they are a monument to a sporting culture that the Cuban state had spent two decades building into a geopolitical statement.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eCharles Barber's Coat of Arms, Still Standing\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe obverse design traces back to \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Charles_E._Barber\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eCharles Edward Barber\u003c\/a\u003e, Chief Engraver of the U.S. Mint from 1879 to 1917, who created the original Cuban peso dies during the island's early republican period. \u003cstrong\u003eThat a U.S. Mint engraver's work still graced Cuban coinage in 1981 — two decades into the Revolution and the U.S. embargo — is one of numismatics' quiet ironies.\u003c\/strong\u003e The coat of arms itself, with its royal palm, Phrygian cap, and rising sun, predates the Revolution entirely; Castro kept it because it belonged to Cuba, not to any regime.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003e5,000 Pieces. That's It.\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe entire mintage of this coin is 5,000 pieces. For context, a typical U.S. commemorative coin runs in the hundreds of thousands. \u003cstrong\u003eThis is a coin produced in quantities more typical of a medal than a monetary issue\u003c\/strong\u003e — which is precisely what it is. Non-circulating legal tender, struck for collectors and institutions, not for wallets. Auction records show UNC examples selling between $8 and $37 depending on eye appeal and provenance. The spread reflects how thinly this issue trades — when one surfaces, the price is whatever the room decides.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eOwn a Piece of Cuba's Sporting Golden Age\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis coin was struck at the height of Cuba's athletic dominance — when its boxing program was the envy of every Olympic committee on earth, and when hosting the Caribbean Games was a statement of revolutionary pride as much as sporting ambition. \u003cstrong\u003eIt is a 42-year-old copper-nickel document of a moment when a small island nation told the world it could outbox anyone.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCondition: UNC. Mintage: 5,000. A sharp, low-mintage commemorative from one of the most collectible series in Caribbean numismatics.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"World Money Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52008398029111,"sku":"CUKM62VF","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0969\/7165\/3431\/files\/62r_6d215f23-df5c-4067-b98e-edf49ea0d586.jpg?v=1776701061","url":"https:\/\/worldmoneystore.com\/products\/cuba-km-62-1-peso-1981-unc-boxing-caribbean-games","provider":"World Money Store","version":"1.0","type":"link"}