Bahamas 1 Cent 1985-2004

History

Obverse. Photo © NumisCorner.com

Description

The Bahamas is an archipelagic state within the Lucayan Archipelago. It consists of more than 700 islands, cays, and islets in the Atlantic Ocean, and is located north of Cuba and Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic), northwest of the Turks and Caicos Islands, southeast of the United States state of Florida, and east of the Florida Keys. The capital is Nassau on the island of New Providence.

The Bahamas is the site of Columbus' first landfall in the New World in 1492. The Bahamas became a British crown colony in 1718, when the British clamped down on piracy. After the American War of Independence, the Crown resettled thousands of American Loyalists in the Bahamas; they brought their slaves with them and established plantations on land grants. Africans constituted the majority of the population from this period. The Bahamas became an independent Commonwealth realm in 1973, retaining the British monarch as its head of state.

Obverse	Animal (fish, bird, mammal etc.) Marlin, Flamingo Coat of arms Bahamas Coat of arms and motto of the Bahamas. The Coat of Arms of the Bahamas contains a shield with national symbols as its focal point. The escutcheon (shield) is supported by a marlin and flamingo. The crest on top of the helm (helmet) is a conch shell, which represents the varied marine life of the island chain. Below the helm is the escutcheon itself, whose main charge is a ship, reputed to represent the Santa María of Christopher Columbus. It is sailing beneath a sun in the chief. The animals supporting the shield are the national animals, and the national motto is found at the bottom. The flamingo is located upon land, and the marlin upon sea, indicating the geography of the islands. The Coat of Arms was approved by Queen Elizabeth II on 7 December 1971. It was designed by Bahamian artist and clergyman, Dr. Hervis L. Bain, Jr. COMMONWEALTH OF THE BAHAMAS FORWARD, TOGETHER UPWARD , ONWARD 1995
Reverse	Animal (fish, bird, mammal etc.) Starfish Starfish below denomination. Starfish or sea stars are star-shaped echinoderms belonging to the class Asteroidea. Common usage frequently finds these names being also applied to ophiuroids, which are correctly referred to as brittle stars or "basket stars". About 1,500 species of starfish occur on the seabed in all the world's oceans, from the tropics to frigid polar waters. They are found from the intertidal zone down to abyssal depths, 6,000 m (20,000 ft) below the surface. ONE CENT
Edge	Plain