World coins chat: British West Indies & East Caribbean States

The British West Indies was a name for all British colonies in the Caribbean Region. For centuries, Spanish Dollars (pieces of eight as they were called) were used. Between 1820 and 1822, fractional dollar coins were minted for the West Indies, Guyana and Mauritius in denominations of 1/16, 1/8, 1/4 and 1/2 Dollar, in line with Spanish colonial Real coins ( 8 Reales = 1 Dollar). These coins were named 'anchor money' as they featured an anchor.

Over the years, the British sought to unify the currency usage of these places and launched the British West Indies Dollar or BWI$ in 1935 at a rate of 4s2d per BWI$ or 4.80 BWI Dollars per sterling. Among its users were Jamaica (in parallel with Sterling), Caymans, Turks & Caicos, British Virgin Islands (but quickly reverted back to USD), St Kitts & Nevis, Montserrat, Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Dominica, St Vincent & the Grenadines, St Lucia, Barbados, Trinidad & Tobago and British Guyana.

In 1955 coins were introduced of 1/2, 1, 2, 5, 10, 25 & 50 cents. The BWI$ was also the currency of the short-lived West Indies Federation from 1958 to 1962. Many territories left and introduced their own Dollars and the BWI$ was transformed into East Caribbean Dollar that is still used today in St Kitts & Nevis, Antigua & Barbuda, Anguilla, Montserrat, St Vincent, Dominica and St Lucia. The EC$ is pegged to USD at 2.70 EC$, which is still about 10% higher value than if it would have stayed within the sterling area.

The islands mentioned above did issue non-circulating commemorative coins, but have no independent currencies of their own.

BWI anchor money:
https://en.numista.com/catalogue/british-west-indies-1.html

East Caribbean states (including British era):
https://en.numista.com/catalogue/oeco-1.html

Notice that British Guyana splitted from West Indies coinage before the BWI$ was created

One remaining data: each island can mint commemoratives, including a common FAO commemorative, in the same model as EU common ones but seemed faculattive as not found the Anguilla one.

https://en.numista.com/catalogue/anguilla-1.html
https://en.numista.com/catalogue/antigua-et-barbuda-1.html
https://en.numista.com/catalogue/dominica-1.html
https://en.numista.com/catalogue/montserrat-1.html
https://en.numista.com/catalogue/st-kitts-and-neviss-1.html
https://en.numista.com/catalogue/st-lucia-1.html
https://en.numista.com/catalogue/st-vincent-1.html

You will not find the Anguilla 4 dollars FAO commemorative because it wasn't issued under it's own name, but together with Saint Cristopher and Nevis.

Look closer at the obverse of the following coin: https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces15513.html
Then you can see the legend: SAINT CHRISTOPHER · NEVIS · ANGUILLA

The two other 4 dollar FAO coins in this series are from Barbados and Grenada:

https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces9356.html
https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces15512.html

Made a few adjustments to this topic

I have a follow up suggestion with regard to British Caribbean coinage:

Existing Format: We currently have British West Indies as a second level country under the UK and we also have British Caribbean Territories and East Caribbean States under a heading of Eastern Caribbean States.

Proposed Format: I suggest we retain the existing main country listing but rename it to East Caribbean States, since that is what it says on the coins and then either under this heading as separate currencies or by using the main heading as a 1st level country and creating 2nd level sub-sections for:

British West Indies - Anchor Coinage (1820-1823)

British Caribbean Territories - BWI Dollar (1935-1965)

East Caribbean States - EC Dollar (1965-date)

What does everybody think and if approved, how do we go about making the required changes?

I am all for the proposed changes!

Απόσπασμα: "jokinen"​I am all for the proposed changes!

​Agreed also, it always perplexed me why the British West Indies issuer was listed under the UK as a second-level issuer.

British Caribbean Territories (Eastern Group) should be listed separately, as should the 1980 & 1981 $10 of the East Caribbean Territories.

East Caribbean States' coins were first struck in 1981.

Aidan.

Newb Question: Does anyone know if the BWI$ is still in circulation in these islands? I'm going on a long cruise soon and hope to pick up some coins on my trip. I wonder if I'll see the BWI$ anywhere or is it just the EC$?

Απόσπασμα: "TCon"​Newb Question: Does anyone know if the BWI$ is still in circulation in these islands? I'm going on a long cruise soon and hope to pick up some coins on my trip. I wonder if I'll see the BWI$ anywhere or is it just the EC$?

​As far as I know the BWI dollar is no longer in circulation anywhere.

Only the East Caribbean States Dollar is in circulation.

The British Caribbean Territories (Eastern Group)'s banknotes & coins would have been pulled from circulation during 1981.

Aidan.

Correct me if I'm wrong (again), but aren't the BWI$ and EC$ coinage very similar in design, size, material etc?

That's what made me wonder if the BWI$ coins still circulate.

Απόσπασμα: "radrick007"​I have a follow up suggestion with regard to British Caribbean coinage:
​
​Existing Format: We currently have British West Indies as a second level country under the UK and we also have British Caribbean Territories and East Caribbean States under a heading of Eastern Caribbean States.
​
​Proposed Format: I suggest we retain the existing main country listing but rename it to East Caribbean States, since that is what it says on the coins and then either under this heading as separate currencies or by using the main heading as a 1st level country and creating 2nd level sub-sections for:
​
​British West Indies - Anchor Coinage (1820-1823)
​
​British Caribbean Territories - BWI Dollar (1935-1965)
​
​East Caribbean States - EC Dollar (1965-date)
​
​What does everybody think and if approved, how do we go about making the required changes?

​Sorry Rick for my late reaction, I'm far behind reading the forum.

My opinion: first of all, British West Indies certainly shouldn't be under the UK. But where's the best place to put it is another question.
I second your proposed format but I then certainly go for the second option: not as separate currencies but as second level issuers. We're not talking about only a change of names but about issuers with different boundaries (Trinidad and Tobago and British Guiana were part of the British Caribbean Territories but were no longer part of the East Caribbean States), so just separate currencies isn't the right option in my opinion. I already proposed this in 2015 when I was a new member but back then there wasn't any reaction at all:



Of course in that time there was no mentioning yet of second level issuers. There is no need to make British Caribbean Territories a new country, but at least make it a new issuer.

I also always was in favor of the name "East Caribbean States" (because that's written on the coins) but of course Numista should be as correct as possible. When you use "Google advanced search" you'll get 116,000 hits for "East Caribbean States" but you'll get 1,100,000 hits for "Eastern Caribbean States", so despite what is written on the coins the official name seems to be Eastern Caribbean States.

British West Indies stays a tricky issue. The coin under British West Indies don't bear a particular place identification. They were issued for use in various British colonies in both the New World and the Orient. Coins of this type dated 1820 were traditionally assigned to Mauritius and other holdings in the Indian Ocean. Those with date 1822 were initially struck for Mauritius but found their widest circulation in Canada and colonies in the Caribbean Sea.
So, although I can live with it, I don't know if it's the best idea to put British West Indies under Eastern Caribbean States. Maybe it's better to give it their own entrance as first level issuer.

So my proposition:

British West Indies
Eastern Caribbean States
- British Caribbean Territories
- Eastern Caribbean States