"Americans who visit the interior of Cuba are surprised beyond measure when they are given change from small purchases in cafes. The old American half dime, which is no more in circulation in the United States, is used in the interior towns of Cuba, where it passes for two and a half cents. All of these coins are punched and were brought t Cuba many years ago. When the bangle craze had died away in America, and there were thousands of these half dimes which had been punched and were useless, some clever Yankee conceived the idea that they could be circulated in some way in Cuba and other West Indian islands. The plan worked well, and ever since that time they had been passing for two and one half cents."