Antigua and Barbuda stands as a sovereign island nation in the heart of the Caribbean where the Caribbean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean. Positioned within the Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, this country is composed of two main islands, Antigua and Barbuda, along with a cluster of smaller islands such as Redonda, York, Long, Great Bird, Green, Maiden, Guiana, and Prickly Pear. From February 1967, Antigua was a British associate state until it gained its independence in November 1981, and renamed Antigua and Barbuda.
As a member of the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union, Antigua and Barbuda is using the Eastern Caribbean dollar for its commercial transactions. Prior to the Eastern Caribbean dollar, the nation used the United States dollar and the British pound sterling until the introduction of the British West Indies Dollar (XBWD) in 1935. The British West Indies dollar was then replaced by the East Caribbean dollar in October 1965, with the East Caribbean Currency Authority as its issuing body. On October 1, 1983, the East Caribbean Currency Authority ceased to exist when the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank was formed.
There were also three banks that issued 5-dollar notes for Antigua: The Royal Bank of Canada between 1913 and 1938. The note features the bank Vice-President E. L. Pease, the coat of arms, and A. S. Holt. Meanwhile, the Colonial Bank issued banknotes in 1926, depicting the coat of arms, and the Barclays Bank between 1937 and 1940.
Since 2019, the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank has been issuing polymer banknotes in a vertical orientation, featuring Queen Elizabeth II wearing Grand Duchess Vladimir’s tiara and the golden jubilee necklace of Queen Victoria. These notes also highlight the Central Bank headquarters building. They bear holographic windows and tactile geometric shapes.
