Barbados’ new bank notes went into circulation Dec. 5. All six denominations of the bank notes have new designs, are printed on a polymer substrate and are produced by De La Rue.

Octavia Gibson, director of Currency and Payments Oversight at the Central Bank of Barbados, said, “Starting on December 5, we will be issuing notes from the new series to commercial banks, who will then make them available to their customers. Members of the public will not be able to come directly to the Central Bank to get the new notes.”

The director also indicated that Barbadians could still use older notes after the new ones go into circulation, saying, “As we switch from paper banknotes to polymer ones, the old notes will remain legal tender and can continue to be spent. Businesses should therefore continue to accept them.”

The central bank announced last April that it would be changing the design of the bank notes. The blue $2, green $5, brown $10, purple $20, orange $50, and gray $100 notes show no new faces, just some modifications, but both sides are switched from a horizontal format to a vertical one.

Although the colors are the same, the new versions are more monochromatic. Along with adding tactile marks, the bank increased both the brightness of the colors and the contrast between denominations. It also enlarged the numerals indicating the value of the notes for the benefit of the partially sighted.

The backs are also altered, with more detailed pictures. For instance, on the $5 bill, where legendary West Indian cricketer Sir Frank Worrell occupies the face and is now portrayed in a cricket uniform, Worrell is also featured in a picture on the back, but at the batting crease (similar to the batter’s box in baseball), in a view that shows a lot more of the 3Ws Oval cricket grounds than previously. On the back of the $20 note, the vignette featuring the Parliament building presents a different angle than before.

As an added security device, faded renditions of the $20, $50 and $100 back pictures are reproduced as holograms at the bottom of those notes.

Other security features include a small broken trident at the top right of each note that reveals the denomination when held up against the light. Another broken trident lights up under ultraviolet light, along with highlighted lines from the National Anthem on the backs.

An innovative feature is that, when placed together in sequence with the $2, $5 and $10 note on top and the $20, $50 and $100 notes below, a map of Barbados runs through the notes.

Connect with Coin World:  
Sign up for our free eNewsletter
Access our Dealer Directory  
Like us on Facebook  
Follow us on Twitter