The Barbadian Dollar has been the currency of Barbados since 1973, when it replaced the Eastern Caribbean Dollar. It is normally abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or alternatively BBD $ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies.
Apart from the regular circulating coinage, the country has also authorised some foreign mints to issue commemorative and bullion coins under its jurisdiction. These are typically in standard bullion sizes, including the large five ounces of silver format (abbreviated as 5 oz Ag, where "Ag" comes from the Latin word for silver, Argentum). The coins are considered "Non-Circulating Legal Tender" (NCLT) because they are released at prices significantly higher that their bullion value, and are targeted at collectors and not at precious metal investors. |
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The obverse of the coin displays at its centre the Coat of Arms of Barbados: a shield which carries two Pride of Barbados flowers (the National Flower) and a Bearded Fig Tree (ficus Citrifolia). On either side of the shield are the supporters - on the right is a dolphin symbolic of the fishing industry, and on the left a pelican, after Pelican Island, a small outcrop later incorporated into the Deep Water Harbour development. Above the shield is a helmet, above which the hand of a Bajan holding two crossed pieces of sugar cane symbolic of the sugar industry. On a ribbon below, the motto PRIDE AND INDUSTRY. |
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