Coins of the Belize dollar

On June 1, 1973, the British colony of British Honduras changed its name to Belize, but its status remained unchanged until 1981, when Belize was granted independence. Belize is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations with Queen Elizabeth II represented by the Governor-General of Belize as head of state. The Prime Minister of Belize is the head of government.

Coins of the Colony of Belize (1973–80)

Some of the coins of the Colony of Belize retain the same basic designs as on the coins of British Honduras, but with the country's name changed. These coins were struck at the Royal Mint, Llantrisant. However, there were coins struck at the Franklin Mint, which depicts the Belizean Coat-of-Arms (the same as the British Honduras Coat-of-Arms) on the obverse instead of the Queen's portrait.

Coins of Belize

The coins of the 1981 issue are regarded by collectors as being the first coins of Belize. Most coins since independence have been struck at the Royal Mint, and still bear the British Honduras-style coin designs. The Queen's portrait has been retained, given the fact that the Belizean people are Royalist in sentiment and temperament, though a majority of the Belizean people are Mayan Indians, whose culture is reflected in some of the coin designs.