The Jamaican dollar

The Jamaican dollar is the official currency of Jamaica - the place where it is issued -
since 1969. Its abbreviation is the dollar sign $, or J $, JA $ to differentiate it from the US
dollar and other types of dollars.
Origins and history of the Jamaican dollar
Before the Jamaican dollar, put into circulation in 1969, the currency circulating in
Jamaica was the pound sterling.
On January 30, 1968, the House of Representatives of Jamaica unanimously approved the
introduction of the dollar, which would replace the Jamaican pound.
The Committee also recommended that, as far as possible, the new coins should be of the
same size and weight as the denominations in pounds, shillings and pennies, to which the
public had become accustomed. As for the tickets, it was recommended that portraits of
national figures should replace the portrait of the queen and that the motto should be
incorporated into the design of the new banknotes. It was also considered convenient that
the new banknotes had the same size and the same basic colors.
In June 1994, the Council of Ministers approved a new monetary structure according to
which: the $ 5 bill would be replaced by a currency; the $ 1 for a 25 cents, the 10 cents
would have a new look and the 5 cents would be abandoned. As such, the new structure
would include coins of 1, 10 and 25 cents, 1 and $ 5, while the bills would be 10, 20, 50,
100 and 500 $.
In 1999 it was decided to coin another banknote and a coin of 10. In March 2000, a $
1000 bill was put into circulation and in July of the same year, the $ 20 bill was replaced
by a coin. It carried the portrait of the national hero Marcus Garvey and was the first
bimetallic coin to be produced by Jamaica.

Dollars and coins of the Jamaican dollar in use

As for the tickets, the 50, 100, 500, 1000 and 5000 dollars issued by the Bank of Jamaica are in circulation (Bank
of Jamaica).
Currently, coins of 1, 10 and 25 cents and of 1, 5, 10 and 20 Jamaican dollars circulate.

The new series of Jamaican banknotes is comprised of six denominations, given the introduction of a new
$2000 banknote. These new banknotes will be available to the public by this Summer 2023, replacing, over
time, the current series of banknotes that are used to conduct daily transactions.

 1900 Bank of Nova Scotia issues bank notes in denominations of £1 and £5

pounds
 1911 Royal Bank of Canada begins operating in Jamaica
 1920 First Government of Jamaica banknotes issued in denominations of 2/6,5/-
and 10/-
 1922 2/6 note withdrawn from circulation
 1925 Colonial Bank incorporated with Barclays Bank
 1926 Barclays Bank incorporated with the Anglo-Egyptian Bank and the National
Bank of South Africa. Group known as Barclays Bank, Dominion, Colonial and
Overseas (DCO) Notes issued in the name of Barclays Bank D.C.O.
 1939 Currency Board established
 1940 Government of Jamaica issues £1 and £5 notes
 1954 Private commercial banks prohibited from issuing banknotes
 1958 Commercial bank notes demonetised
 1960 Bank of Jamaica (central bank) established
 1961 Bank of Jamaica began operations. Notes issued in denominations of 5/-,
10/- 1 and £5
 1962 Jamaica gained independence from Great Britain. No change in notes and
coins in circulation.
 1969 Jamaica changed to a decimal system of currency (8 September) using
dollars and cents. Coins issued in denominations of 1c, 5c, 10c , 20c, 25c, Notes
issued in denominations of 50c, $1, $2 and $10
 1970 $5 note introduced
 1975 New aluminium 1c coins introduced
 1976 50c note replaced by a coin and $20 note introduced
 1978 New $10 and $20 introduced. Old notes demonetised
 1986 $100 note introduced
 1988 $50 note introduced
 1990 $1 note replaced by a coin
 1991 New 25c and 10c coins introduced
 1993 Metallic content of $1 coin changed from nickel-brass to brass-plated steel
 1994 $500 note introduced
 1994 $5 coin issued to replace $5 note
 1994 New nickel-plated $1 coin introduced
 1995 New 25c and 10c coins introduced
 1995 Old coins (5c, 10c, 20c, 25c, 50c and $1) issued prior to December 1994
demonetised
 1999 $10 note replaced by a coin
 2000 $1000 note introduced and $20 note replaced by coin
 2009 $5000 note introduced
 2018 Demonetisation of 1c,10c and 25c coins