World Coin Photo Gallery

Bahamas The Bahamas consists of about 3,000 islands to the north of Cuba with a population of only about 250,000. The islands were discovered by Columbus in 1492, but they were not settled by the Spanish. In 1626, they came under British influence which has continued despite brief periods of Spanish control. Full independence was gained in 1973, but The Bahamas remains a member of the British Commonwealth.
Bahrain Bahrain has only issued its own coins since 1965, and became fully independent in 1971. our featured coin, a silver proof 5 dinars, shows the Amir, Sheik Isa Bin Salman on the obverse, while the reverse pictures a Rhim gazelle. It was issued as part of an international World Wildlife Fund (WWF) collection.
Bangladesh The British ruled India and Pakistan until 1947, when they were "partitioned". West and East Pakistan were physically separated by 1,000 miles of India, and eventually in 1971 East Pakistan broke away to become Bangladesh. Bangladesh is a member of the British Commonwealth. The obverse of our featured coin shows a stylised version of a shapla flower.
Barbados The first coinage ever issued specifically for Barbados was the 1788 penny token shown. It was issued by local plantation owner Sir Philip Gibbs. The obverse shows the head of presumably a black African slave, with the motto "I Serve" beneath. the reverse design is a large pineapple with the inscription "BARBADOES PENNY 1788". Note the original Portuguese spelling of Barbadoes.
Belgium - 5 Francs Belgium has had a history of change. It has been an independent kingdom since 1830. Our photo shows a silver five franc crown of Leopold II from 1873.
Belize - 5 Dollars Previously British Honduras, Belize has been independent since 1981, remaining a member of the British Commonwealth. Our featured coin is a silver proof crown issued for the Queen's golden wedding in 1997, and has the Queen and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh on the reverse. The obverse shows Belize's coat of arms with its motto SUB UMBRA FLOREO, which translates as "I flower (or flourish) in the shade".
Bermuda - Crown Bermuda was discovered in 1503 and became a British Crown colony in 1684. It used sterling currency until 1970 when it decimalised. The 1964 crown is one of only two pre-decimal coins ever issued by Bermuda.
Bhutan - 300 Ngultrums Bhutan is in the Himalayas to the north of India. It was conquered by Tibet in the 9th century, but is an independent monarchy under Indian protection since 1949. The coin shown is a 300 Ngultrums of 1992, and is particularly appropriate as archery is the national sport of Bhutan.
Bolivia - 4000 Pesos Bolivianos Bolivia lies between Brazil, Peru, Chile, Argentina, and Paraguay. It was part of the Inca Empire, until conquered by Spain. Independent since 1825, and named after Simon Bolivar, it has had a turbulent political history.
Botswana Botswana became independent from Britain in 1966, when it issued the first coins in its own name. OuR featured coin shows its coat of arms on the obverse, we still have not discovered the meaning the the word IPELEGENG! The reverse shows a Slaty Egret, and was issued as part of a World Wildlife Fund silver proof crown collection.
Brazil - Gold 20,000 Reis Discovered by the Portuguese in 1500, Brazil was under Portuguese control until 1822, when it became independent, although under a Portuguese ruler. Its language and customs are still Portuguese. Our coin is a gold 20,000 reis of Emperor Peter II dated 1856.
Britain - George III Halfpenny The Romans named Britain Britannia, and the figure shown on this George II halfpenny is similar to that used on Roman coins of Augustus almost 2,000 years ago.
British Virgin Islands - Dolphins The British Virgin Islands are a small group of islands in the Caribbean, and as their name suggests, are under British influence rather than American. As all parts it are close to the sea, it is therefore quite appropriate for dolphins to feature on some of its coins.
British West Africa - One Tenth Penny British West Africa consisted of Gambia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria and Gold Coast, now called Ghana. Coins were issued from 1907 to 1958. Our photo shows a one tenth penny of George V dated 1936.
Brunei - $10 Brunei became a British Protectorate in 1888, but regained independence in 1984. The same family has ruled Brunei for six centuries, the current ruler is both Sultan and Head of Government, Sir Hassanal Bolkiah. The Ten Dollar coin shown was issued to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the Brunei Currency Board.
Bulgaria - Silver 5 Leva Bulgaria has had some king of national identity since the 7th century, came under Turkish rule from 1395 until it became a fully independent monarchy in 1908. The monarchy was abolished in 1946, and it came under Russian influence until very recently, changing its name to the Republic of Bulgaria in 1989. The silver 5 Leva coin shows Prince Ferdinand I.

Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belize, Benin, Biafra, Bohemia & Moravia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, British Virgin Islands, & Burundi to Follow
We are still working on this section, and will be adding images of Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belize, Benin, Biafra, Bohemia & Moravia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, British Virgin Islands, & Burundi coins later.

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You may wish to visit some of our other pages:
Royal Portrait Gallery on British Coins
Photo Gallery of Current British Coins
Value of my Coin. What's it Worth?
Coin Information

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