Gold Ounce 2021 Caribbean Pelican, Coin from Barbados - detailed information

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, such as one ounce of gold (abbreviated as 1 oz Au, where "Au" comes from the Latin word for gold, Aurum).

The 2021 1oz Barbados Caribbean Pelican Gold Coin is part of the Caribbean Silver and Gold series by MDM, issued in partnership with APMEX.

This is the second release in this series featuring the national bird of Barbados, the Brown Pelican. Brown Pelicans have a dark body, an oversized bill, and a sinuous neck. This pelican is the smallest pelican species with an average length of 1.2 metres.

Although the pelican is featured on the Coat of Arms of the country, the bird is rarely seen in or around Barbados. The pelican represents a small island that once existed off Barbados called Pelican Island. According to historical record, the island received its name from brown pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis) that would nest there. Over the five years of 1956 to 1961, a southwest section of the Atlantic Ocean between the island and Barbados was reclaimed and filled in during the building of the Bridgetown Port, and now Pelican Island has become incorporated into the mainland in the Bridgetown Deep Water Harbour complex.