Barbados has used the seahorse as a national symbol since the colonial period, when it appeared on the island's coat of arms granted in 1966 at independence. The Central Bank began issuing bullion-quality silver dollars under its own authority in the 1970s, well ahead of most Caribbean nations, establishing a collector series that has run with periodic interruptions ever since. The 2019 issue belongs to a modern restrike of that tradition rather than a continuous run, produced for the international bullion and numismatic market rather than domestic circulation.
Barbados has used the seahorse as a national symbol since the colonial period, when it appeared on the island's coat of arms granted in 1966 at independence. The Central Bank began issuing bullion-quality silver dollars under its own authority in the 1970s, well ahead of most Caribbean nations, establishing a collector series that has run with periodic interruptions ever since. The 2019 issue belongs to a modern restrike of that tradition rather than a continuous run, produced for the international bullion and numismatic market rather than domestic circulation.