Jamaica Banknote History

Jamaica is a small Island nation located in the Caribbean. It was originally discovered and subsequently ruled by the Spaniards. A few centuries later it fell under rule of the British. It was an agricultural but, today it is known as a popular tourist location because of their nice beaches. From 1840 to 1969 the official currency of Jamaica was the Jamaican Pound. However the country gained independence from Britain in 1962 and in 1969 they decided to decimalize their currency and introduce the Jamaican Dollar. The first Jamaican Pounds had a lot of influence in the design. They didn’t feature images of any royalty just text, abstract patterns and on the front 2 women at the front symbolizing liberty.

Early Jamaica Banknotes

From the 1940’s up until 1960 they design had an upgrade and on the front there were images of King George VI on the left hand corner. For the most part they carried a similar design as previous banknotes. On the reverse were images of the Jamaican coat of arms. Then in 1960 banknotes were released featuring Queen Elizabeth II. This series featuring the Queen was short lived. The Jamaica 10 Shilling, 1960 features the Queen on the front left hand corner as well as the Jamaican coat of arms in the center. The reverse features an agricultural scene.

The next series of banknotes are very colorful and feature images of statesmen and other notable figures in Jamaican history. The Jamaica 20 Dollars, 1979 is colored in blue, yellow and red. The front features an image of Noel N. Nethersole as well as the Jamaican flag and the coat of arms too. The reverse features the Central Bank building. Another example of the modern banknotes is the Jamaica 100 Dollars, 2016. Its colored in yellow and green, and features an image of Sir Donald Sangster who served as Jamaica’s prime minister. It also features a map of Jamaica and the coat of arms.