Belize and the death of Queen Elizabeth II

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Belize is a Commonwealth realm. This means that its head of state is the monarch of the UK.

Previously the head of state was Queen Elizabeth II. Her effigy appeared on the obverse of all Belizean circulation coins.

Since her death, King Charles III has been the head of state of Belize. Her death has led several of the Commonwealth realms to reappraise the role of the UK in their history. Slavery and Empire and their symbols have come to the fore. There have been demands for reparations.

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Some coins of British Honduras.

Belize was originally called British Honduras. In those days it was a British colony.

In 1964 Britain granted British Honduras self-government under a new constitution.

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Coins of Belize.

On 1 June 1973, British Honduras was officially renamed Belize.

Its coins still portrayed Queen Elizabeth II.[


Belize was granted independence on 21 September 1981.

Belize became a Commonwealth realm upon independence.

Its coins still portrayed Queen Elizabeth II on the obverse.

The reverse designs also remained unchanged.

See:  Countries that retained colonial coin designs after independence.

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Belize was granted independence on 21 September 1981.

Belize became a Commonwealth realm upon independence.

Its coins still portrayed Queen Elizabeth II on the obverse.

The reverse designs also remained unchanged.

See:  Countries that retained colonial coin designs after independence.

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Belize, circulation dollar coin.

For many years, the circulation coinage of Belize had very plain reverse designs.

Then in  1990 it added a unit coin (1 dollar) for the first time.


The coin is still produced and in circulation.

It depicts the Santa Maria, one of the ships of Christopher Columbus (Cristóbal Colón).


The coin already stands out by being nickel-brass and 10-sided.

However, the splendid reverse design says: "This is a dollar coin, and it's special!"

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Belize has not yet issued any coins since the death of Queen Elizabeth.

So we do not know which portrait of King Charles III they will use, if any.


But the times are changing. Perhaps Belize could become a republic in the near future.

'Colonialism lingers': Belize shrugs off coronation amid calls for reparations.

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And let's think again about that circulation dollar coin.

It depicts the ships of Christopher Columbus.

From Wikipedia:

Columbus was widely celebrated in the centuries after his death, but public perception fractured in the 21st century due to greater attention to the harms committed under his governance, particularly the beginning of the depopulation of Hispaniola's indigenous Taíno people, caused by Old World diseases and mistreatment, including slavery.

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So what can we expect when Belize issues its first post-QEII coins?

I imagine that the dollar design will be replaced.

Reminders of slavery and empire are anathema in today's world.


Also, the reverse designs are hangovers from colonialism.

They are old and tired. Something more modern and exciting is required.

I'm hoping for an attractive set of thematic designs.

That would be in line with modern numismatic trends.


Belize has a splendid coat of arms that could replace the old royal portrait.

I do not expect that Charles III will ever appear on Belizean circulation coins.

Even if Belize remains a Commonwealth realm, there is no requirement for this.

Jamaica, the Bahamas and Papua New Guinea do not show the royal portrait on their coins.

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Belize, 5 cents, 2003.

Belizean coins retained the old-fashioned crowned portrait of QEII right up until her death.

That portrait was the work of English sculptor Cecil Thomas.

Only their dollar coin used a more modern portrait.

See:  The Worldwide Usage of the Effigy of Queen Elizabeth II.

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I asked Copilot, an AI app, to come up with some suggestions for a thematic Belizean circulation set.

Here they are. It even included a design for a $2 coin.

1 Cent: Toucan - Featuring the colorful keel-billed toucan, Belize's national bird, symbolizing the country's vibrant wildlife.

5 Cents: Tapir.

10 Cents: Spiny-Tailed Iguana - Featuring this unique and striking reptile, symbolizing Belize's diverse and vibrant wildlife.

25 Cents: Howler Monkey - Featuring the distinctive and vocal howler monkey, representing Belize's diverse jungle fauna.

50 Cents: Jaguar - Highlighting this powerful and elusive big cat, symbolizing the country's efforts in wildlife conservation.

1 Dollar:  Xunantunich Mayan Ruins

2 Dollars: Cave System

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Did you give a definition of "thematic" in your question to Copilot? Perhaps using the word "nature"? AI is very eager to please and I see no other reason for the lack of humans and the stuff they make.

Peter

[FosseWay]

Point of information: Belize is indeed a member of the Commonwealth but that doesn't automatically make the British monarch head of state. India has been a republic since 1950 and is a member of the Commonwealth. Barbados recently became a republic, but is still a Commonwealth member. So Belize could become a republic, or it could retain King Charles as its head of state but not portray him on the coins, or they can continue the existing series, simply substituting Charles's portrait for Elizabeth's.

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FosseWay, note my very first sentence:

Belize is a Commonwealth realm. This means that its head of state is the monarch of the UK.

Evidently you have lived too long in Sweden to understand the import of the term "Commonwealth realm".

Wikipedia defines a realm thus:

A realm is a community or territory over which a sovereign rules. The term is commonly used to describe a monarchical or dynastic state. A realm may also be a subdivision within an empire, if it has its own monarch, e.g. the German Empire.


Wikipedia defines a Commonwealth realm thus:

A Commonwealth realm is a sovereign state within the Commonwealth of Nations that has Charles III as its monarch and head of state. All the realms are independent of each other, although one person, resident in the United Kingdom, acts as monarch of each. Except for the UK, in each of the realms the monarch is represented by a governor-general. The phrase Commonwealth realm is an informal description not used in any law.

As of 2024, there are 15 Commonwealth realms: Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, The Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Grenada, Jamaica, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, and the United Kingdom. While the Commonwealth of Nations has 56 independent member states, only these 15 have Charles III as head of state. He is also Head of the Commonwealth, a non-constitutional role.

The notion of these states sharing the same person as their monarch traces back to 1867 when Canada became the first dominion, a self-governing nation of the British Empire; others, such as Australia (1901) and New Zealand (1907), followed. With the growing independence of the dominions in the 1920s, the Balfour Declaration of 1926 established the Commonwealth of Nations and that the nations were considered "equal in status ... though united by a common allegiance to the Crown".

The Statute of Westminster 1931 further set the relationship between the realms and the Crown, including a convention that any alteration to the line of succession in any one country must be voluntarily approved by all the others. The modern Commonwealth of Nations was then formally constituted by the London Declaration in 1949 when India wanted to become a republic without leaving the Commonwealth; this left seven independent nations sharing the Crown: Australia, Canada, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, and the United Kingdom.

Since then, new realms have been created through the independence of former colonies and dependencies; Saint Kitts and Nevis is the youngest extant realm, becoming one in 1983. Some realms became republics; Barbados changed from being a realm to a republic in 2021.

I repeat: Belize is a Commonwealth realm - not just a Commonwealth member.

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Here I repeat my main prediction for the Belizean coinage:

So what can we expect when Belize issues its first post-QEII coins?

Belize has a splendid coat of arms that could replace the old royal portrait.

I do not expect that Charles III will ever appear on Belizean circulation coins.

Even if Belize remains a Commonwealth realm, there is no requirement for this.

Jamaica, the Bahamas and Papua New Guinea do not show the royal portrait on their coins.

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Did you give a definition of "thematic" in your question to Copilot? Perhaps using the word "nature"?

I probably asked for something like "wildlife and landmarks".

AI is very eager to please

AI has no emotions. Probably you are thinking of the supercomputer HAL in the film "2001: A Space Odyssey", but that was just fiction.