Catalog
10 Dollars Independence, silver proof
| Issuer | Central Bank of Belize |
|---|---|
| Year | 1991 |
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| Technique | Proof |
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| Obverse description | The national coat of arms of Belize occupies the central field, depicting two human supporters — a mestizo figure at left and a Creole figure at right — each holding tools, flanking a quartered shield charged with a mahogany tree and a ship in full sail. The shield is surmounted by a mahogany tree proper, and a scroll beneath bears the national motto SUB UMBRA FLOREO. The arms are encircled by a wreath of laurel branches. The legend BELIZE arcs along the upper periphery, while the denomination 10 DOLLARS appears along the lower periphery, all within a beaded border. |
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| Edge | Reeded |
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| Additional information |
Belize struck this proof issue to mark the tenth anniversary of independence from Britain, achieved on 21 September 1981 — a date that nearly didn't arrive. Guatemala had long claimed the entire territory, and the independence declaration was made only under the protection of a British military garrison that remained in place for over a decade afterward. The geopolitical uncertainty of those early years gave commemorative issues from this period an urgency that purely celebratory coins rarely carry.