Trinidad and Tobago

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Map of Trinidad and Tobago.

From Wikipedia:

The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is a twin island country off the northern edge of South America, lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles. Part of the Caribbean, it shares maritime boundaries with other nations including Barbados to the northeast, Grenada to the northwest, Guyana to the southeast, and Venezuela to the south and west. The country covers an area of 5,128 square kilometres (1,980 sq mi) and consists of two main islands, Trinidad and Tobago, with numerous smaller landforms. It has a population of around 1,224,000.

The island of Trinidad was a Spanish colony from the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1498 to the capitulation of the Spanish Governor, Don José Maria Chacón, on the arrival of a British fleet of 18 warships on 18 February 1797. During the same period, the island of Tobago changed hands among Spanish, British, French, Dutch and Courlander colonizers. Trinidad and Tobago (remaining separate until 1889) were ceded to Britain in 1802 under the Treaty of Amiens. The country Trinidad and Tobago obtained independence in 1962, becoming a republic in 1976.

Trinidad and Tobago is the third richest country by GDP (PPP) per capita in the Americas after the United States and Canada. Furthermore, it is recognized as a high income economy by the World Bank. Unlike most of the English-speaking Caribbean, the country's economy is primarily industrial, with an emphasis on petroleum and petrochemicals. The country's wealth is due to its large reserves and exploitation of oil and natural gas.

Trinidad and Tobago is known for its Carnival and is the birthplace of steelpan, limbo, and the music styles of calypso, soca and chutney. Trinidad and Tobago is one of the most biodiverse nations in the Caribbean and has a wide variety of flora and fauna.

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Flag of Trinidad and Tobago.

From Wikipedia:

The flag of Trinidad and Tobago was adopted upon independence from the United Kingdom on August 31, 1962. The flag was chosen by the independence committee of 1962. Red, black and white symbolize fire (the sun, representing courage), earth (representing dedication) and water (representing purity and equality).

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Coat of arms of Trinidad and Tobago.

From Wikipedia:

The coat of arms of Trinidad and Tobago was designed by a committee formed in 1962 to select the symbols that would be representative of the people of Trinidad and Tobago. The palm tree crest at the top of the coat of arms was taken from Tobago's coat of arms before it was joined in political union with Trinidad. The shield has the same colours (black, red, and white) as the nation's flag and they carry the same meaning. The gold ships represent the Santa María, La Niña, and La Pinta: the three ships Christopher Columbus used on his journey to the "New World". The two birds on the shield are hummingbirds. Trinidad is sometimes referred to as the "Land of the Hummingbird" because more than sixteen different species of hummingbird have been recorded on the island. "Land of the Hummingbird" is also believed to have been the Native American name for Trinidad. The two larger birds are the scarlet ibis (left) and the cocrico (right), the national birds of Trinidad and Tobago. Below the scarlet ibis are three hills, representing the Trinity Hills in southern Trinidad, which, it is believed, convinced Columbus to name the island after the Holy Trinity. The island rising out of the waters beneath the Cocrico represents Tobago. Below these birds is the nation's motto, "Together We Aspire, Together We Achieve."

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The country's first coins were issued in 1966.

They showed the country name and denomination on the obverse and the coat of arms on the reverse.

They came in denominations of 1, 5, 10, 25 and 50 cents.

The 1 cent coin is not shown below.

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A proof one dollar coin was issued in sets only.

The obverse is shown above.

The reverse was the same as on the 1966 coins.

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In 1972 the country issued a special set of circulation coins, which also appeared in proof sets.

They celebrated the tenth anniversary of independence.

The same designs were used as before, except that the legend "TENTH ANNIVERSARY" appeared at the bottom of the obverse design.

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A special collector dollar coin, depicting a cocrico, was also issued in 1972.

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A $5 coin, featuring a scarlet ibis, and a $10 coin were also released in 1972.

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In 1973 Trinidad and Tobago released a new 50 cents coin, depicting steel drums. This was the first denomination of a new thematic design series, but the remaining denominations were not issued until 1974. The new designs were the work of the Franklin Mint.






1c.    Humming-bird feeding from a balisier flower.
5c.    Greater bird of Paradise.
10c.  Hibiscus flower. 
25c.  Chaconia flower. 
50c.  Steel drums.
$1.    Cocrico. 
$5.    Scarlet ibis.         
$10.  Antique map design.

Designers: 5c - Norman Nemeth; 10c - James Ponter; the rest are by Ernest Lauser.

Note that the 1, 5 and 10 dollar coins are most definitely collector coins only.

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White-tailed goldenthroat hummingbird (Polytmus guainumbi) feeding from a balisier flower.




The Greater Bird of Paradise was imported in 1909. The species was not originally native to Trinidad.

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A closer look at the reverse of the 10 cents coin.

The circulation coins are exactly that: they did circulate in the 1970s.

But by the 1980s inflation meant that they had become irrelevant, and only banknotes were used.

 

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A closer look at the reverse of the 25 cents coin.

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In 1979 Trinidad released its first coin with a FAO theme, a dollar coin.

I do not know whether it circulated.

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In 1982 the country issued a special proof set in silver, commemorating the twentieth anniversary of independence.

As in 1972, a special legend was added to the coins.

This time the legend appeared on the reverse design.


Instead of the hummingbird, a common marshmallow flower was shown on the silver collector cent coin.

The mint mark of the Franklin Mint can be seen beneath the coat of arms on the obverse of the coin.

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Instead of the bird of paradise, the reverse of the collector silver 5 cents coin featured a swallowtail butterfly.