Barbados is a small tropical island at the south end of the Caribbean Sea. Like many of its neighbors, it was colonized for hundreds of years by various European powers. Like many island nations, their population is too small to produce new banknotes too often by themselves. What you see with Barbados is a dependence on the UK for its banknotes when it was a colony and then being part of regional currency boards and now going it alone.
Early Barbados Banknotes
Following a similar pattern of European colonization in the Caribbean, Barbados was first claimed by Spain in 1511. Portugal claimed dominance for a few years but abandoned the island. And then England in the 1600’s established permanent settlements and established Barbados as a colony. As a result, beginning in 1938, the Government of Barbados issued its own banknotes with the UK’s King George VI on the notes. Before that, Barclays’ Dominion Bank and the Canadian Bank of Commerce issued notes useful in Barbados. This was during a time in the early 1900s when the UK was considering making its Caribbean territories part of Canada. The banknotes produced in 1938 for Barbados fit the typical design seen for nearly all UK Overseas Territories. On a background of off-white paper, the King’s portrait is seen on the front and elegant security scroll works is on the back.
In 1950, the British Caribbean Currency Board (BCCB) was created to create a common economic area. This organization lasted until 1965 and did release some very nice banknotes. Each of the notes that have Queen Elizabeth II’s portrait, a map on the front. The back design is intricate and includes the names of each country along with small vignettes of sea travel. In 1965 the Eastern Caribbean Currency Authority replaced the BCCB, but Barbados was only part of it through 1973. The notes issued during this period included the Queen and show the islands and local sea creatures that are different on each denomination. They share a similar beach view on the reverse.
Modern Series of Banknotes
In 1966 Barbados became and independent state and a member of the British Commonweath, but when it began issuing its own banknotes in 1973 it replaced the Queen on all of its banknotes. Local politicians and leaders are shown on the portraits. These notes are generally simple concepts. Over the next 40 years, the designs changed little. Even its commemorative notes issued in 1997, 2002 and 2012 showed very little design change. In 2013 Barbados did issue a re-designed series of banknotes. This upgrade included newer security features and more modern design. The background of the banknotes have an ocean wave theme, improved quality portraits, the government crest and move vivid colors. The reverse side designs are different and show several cultural aspects of the Barbados nation.
The 2013 series is a significant upgrade, and a nice set for a collector.