In the Pendant and Ring series, “World Coin Tour” we explore the artistry of each countries’ coinage. We cannot cover every country all at once, nor every coin, but one country at a time we can hop across the globe. Join us for our second installment of the “World Coin Tour,” today, and subscribe so you never miss a post!
Today we are going to the Bahamas! The first coin on our journey is the twenty-five cent piece. This 1972 coin features a Bahamas sloop, cutting through the beautiful Caribbean water. In 1972, two ship coins were minted, this one, and a fifty-dollar coin with an engraved image of the Santa Maria, one of the three Columbus exploring vessels.
The second coin in our tour features a flamingo pair framing the sunset. The silver two dollar coin is a beautiful tribute to the vibrant Bahamas national bird. Flamingos are pair bonding, and the females only lay one egg a year. If the egg is damaged, the pair waits an entire year before trying again.
Today’s gold star coin pendant is the Bahamas one cent Starfish coin. This cent is just larger than a US nickel and features a fantastic reef creature; the starfish. The Bahamas produce two starfish coins and this is the larger of the two. This coin is a brass alloy and as such is easy to keep looking fresh.
The Bahamas five-cent pineapple coin is perhaps my favorite modern coin pendant. The pineapple is such a fun-loving and easy-going summer symbol, perfectly capturing the island-vibes. The five-cent piece is 21mm across, which makes this coin pendant about the same size as a US Nickle, not too big, not too small, but just right.
The large Bahamas silver conch dollar coin is 34mm across, making it larger than a US half- dollar. This is statement jewelry! The conch is a beautiful invertebrate animal that lives in shallow ocean environments. Its shell can be used as a horn and even made into a musical instrument!
The Bahamas ten-cent coin is adorned with two Bonefish that can grow to a length of more than one meter long and can weigh up to 19 pounds. Most are thrown back because of all the bones, hence the name. Bonefish live in the shallow, salty, seagrass fields along protected coastlines from the islands, north to Florida.
We hope you enjoyed this second edition of the Pendant and Ring “World Coin Tour!” You can read the first “World Coin Tour” article here, and explore the coinage of Papua New Guinea.
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