World coins chat: Jamaica

Jamaica is a Caribbean island southeast of Cuba and southwest of Haiti. It has been under British control from the 1600's until independence in 1962. Reggae music is perhaps the widest known Jamaican export product.

Initially, Spanish Dollars and other (counterstamped) Spanish colonial coinage was used on the island. By the early 1800's, Sterling was introduced and UK coinage started circulating. The local black community was hesitant to use copper (not sure what the exact reason was), so initially the smallest denominations were silver 1 1/2 and 3 pence. When slavery was abolished demand increased for smaller coins, and this was solved by using copper-nickel for farthings, half pennies and pennies. These coins were the first that had Jamaica on them. Jamaicans used UK coinage for higher denominations starting from 3d .

In 1969, 7 years after indepence, the Jamaicans introduced their own Dollar (JMD or J$) worth 10 shillings or half a pound. The new 5 cents (6d), 10 cents (1s), 20 cents (2s) and 25 cents (2s6d) had the same sizes as the equivalent British coinage. At time of changeover, a pound was worth 2.40 USD so the new Jamaican Dollar was worth $1.20. Chronic inflation has eroded a lot of value from this currency, and now there are 115 J$ in a USD. From 1990 higher denominations were introduced or sizes reduced to reflect the lower purchasing power of the JMD. The coins currently in circulation are 25c, $1, $5, $10 and a bi-metallic $20.

All modern Jamaican coinage is easy to find, but the non-decimal ones are bid up a slight bit more than one would expect for base metal coins. Some of these have relatively low mintages so that must explain it.

From what I heard, the avoidance of copper was a kind of superstition. The devout population of Jamaica would go to church every week and donate some money there, but nobody would want to put copper coins in the basket because that would look cheap. But the Jamaicans weren't very rich so they were really running into some problems by giving away at least 3 pence (the smallest non-copper coin) every week. Eventually they imported some tiny silver 1.5 pence coins to try and solve this problem, but those just got lost because they were too tiny. The solution was, apparently, eventually, to make pennies out of gray copper-nickel or yellow brass, which somehow avoided the superstition.


Jamaica issued only one pre-decimal coin with a denomination higher than 1 penny - this copper-nickel crown from 1966, commemorating the Commonwealth Games in Kingston. This would be a worthy addition to any Jamaican collection as it is not that expensive.


Here are the last of the Jamaican pennies, commemorating the 100th anniversary of Jamaican coins.


1 dollar, back when that coin had a bit of value to it.


And this is the bimetallic $20 coin, which is apparently quite similar to 1 euro despite being worth much less.

nalaberong's five shilling coin has been emitted a few years after Jamaica withdrawal of the West Indies dollar (legal tender in Jamaica from 1954 to 1964)

If like me you have an interest in collecting Jamaican coins ... please step forward ...

I've a few coins from Jamaica including a G.R counterstamped 10 pence. I've just received this one in the post though I got cheaply nice UNC :)


sorry when I upload from iPhone memory it always changes it to side ways :S

this is were the rotation feature of numista comes in handy

On Mobile ?

no only on the dectop version you don't really need it on mobile because you can simply turn your device

Quote: "Idolenz"​no only on the dectop version you don't really need it on mobile because you can simply turn your device

​wrong. I did mention when I initially posted them that it always uploads them sideways the pics are the right way round.

Some coins used in Jamaica and Jamaican coins mon!

 

The silver 1½ pence were minted at the Royal Mint between 1834 and 1851

 

The coins were 12.3mm in size and easily lost. 1834 was the first year, it was also the year slavery was abolished (Although full Emnacipation only kicked in during 1838).

 

 

4 penny silver groats were also popular in Jamaica. Reminted from 1836 onwards, issue of them stopped in the UK after 1855, but from 1888 to the 1950s they were issued and sent to the Caribbean, fairly popular in Jamaica they saw most use in British Guiana! The groat was never that popular in the UK (These Britannia groats I mean not the earlier famous medieval groats of the 14th to 16th centuries!).

 

Mainly as this coin as the same diameter as a 3 pence, although it was thicker, weighed more and had a reeded edge - whereas a 3 pence did not.

 

In 1869 Jamaican copper nickel coins were issued for Farthing, Halfpenny and Penny. The light ensured they were not copper coloured. My guess is copper coins were easily lost too and was not very durable in the hot wet climate of Jamaica, Copper Nickel and Brass were much more durable than silver and bronze.

 

 

This is a well worn 1918 Penny - some dates especially 1800s ones are quite rare. Coins above 1 penny were standard British coins, however bronze coins were sent to other islands besides Jamaica and it was actually the 1950 and 1951 UK pennies which are rare, were mostly sent to Trinidad and Barbados!

 

In the 1940s because of WW2, these coins were reissued in Brass and stayed that way until Independence in 1962 and decimal changeover in 1969.

 

1969 saw the dollar currency introduced and this handsome set emerged. The dollar coin was a commem, but the rest were used. Bizarrely there was a 20c and 25c coin!

 

Inflation from the 1980s onwards saw coins reissued in muck metals and finally shrunk around 1995.

 

1995 dollar coin made out of cheap stainless steel, it has virtually no value today (under 1 cent). To give you and idea of inflation - until 1978 they had a 50 cents note and the top one was $10, now their smallest note is $50 and biggest note is $5000 which is worth around $45 NZD.

 

Although the currency has bottomed out between $110 and $130 Jamaican dollars per US dollar since around 2012.