Judging by plummeting temperatures across the US, including the normally balmy southeast, many thoughts are disregarding the approaching Yuletide holidays and heading further south to the Caribbean. Of particular interest to coin and currency collectors is the southernmost territory there, Barbados....
In just over a week, Barbados is completely revamping its currency to abandon paper bills. Wait! This has nothing to do with changing over to coins. Quite the opposite. Beginning December 5, Barbadian bills will be produced on plastic polymer instead of paper. This isn’t entirely revolutionary. Other countries including Australia, Canada, Fiji, New Zealand, Romania, and Vietnam have issued similar bills.
Barbados’ highly colorful new notes include other anti-counterfeiting measures such as ultraviolet images that can only be seen under a blacklight. Plus, when the $2; $5; $10; $20; $50 and $100 bills are placed in a grid pattern, they create a map of Barbados itself.
It would be a stretch to assert the new notes are sufficient to thwart forgers. In fact, fewer than 60 fake notes were found in Barbados in the past year. But you can’t be too careful.
Be it Christmas or Hanukkah or travel to exotic locales with warm beaches and colorful new currency, this has always been the season of anticipation. Even admittedly naughty children are beginning to mind their manners in hopes of finding special presents appearing in about a month. Similarly, collectors are hoping to find new issues from the US Mint and US Postal Service slated for 2023 – not only for their collections, but on the off-chance a valuable error or two might appear in the minting or printing.
Slated for release in the coming year are traditionally forgettable issues such as cartoons of a puppy and kitten on the “LOVE” stamps; a red fox; the obligatory flag stamp; simplistic sailboats; piñatas, illustrations of various train stations; and a bland drawing of a school bus.
Fortunately, among more important immortalizations are First Class stamps honoring luminaries such as a painting of Ernest Gaines in the Black Heritage series. Gaines authored the famous epic, “The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman.” Another Black writer, Toni Morrison is honored for her works such as “The Bluest Eye,” “Song of Solomon” and “Beloved.” She made history as the first Black woman to win the Nobel Prize for Literature.
American Indian Chief Standing Bear, who won a landmark court ruling in 1879 that determined Indigenous Americans were persons under the law with inherent rights, also gets postal honors. The stamp features a portrait of Standing Bear based on a photo taken in 1877.
The Standing Bear stamp will be followed by a long-anticipated one saluting Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg who died at 87 in 2020. Other anticipated “Forever” issues take impressive note of nature including a sheet of “Endangered Species” stamps as well as a full color sheet showing a dozen of America’s most iconic waterfalls.
Hawaiian composer, dancer and singer Edith Kanakaole appears on the third quarter. She is renowned for her entertaining stories celebrating classic and traditional Hawaiian history and culture. Famous and familiar First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt appears on the fourth coin. Roosevelt is known as a champion for human rights and civil liberties. She chaired the Human Rights Commission and led the United Nations Commission on Human Rights.
Finally, America’s first prima ballerina, Maria Tallchief, appears on the fifth quarter. Tallchief also an American Indian. She broke new ground with her exceptional artistry in dance.
While First Class postal rates are increasing next year from 60- to 63-cents, it still just takes $1.40 for a letter to travel from the US to far-off exotic destinations – say, Barbados. Not a bad deal considering the distance.
Many more stamps, coins and currency are in the queue for 2023 so these are just a taste. I’ll keep you posted as the truly interesting ones are released.
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