5 Cents - Elizabeth II Nickel Brass

Belize gained independence from Britain in 1981, meaning this coin was struck entirely during the final years of the colony then still known as British Honduras — except it wasn't. The country was renamed Belize in 1973, the same year this series began, following sustained pressure from the People's United Party under George Price. The Central Bank issuing these coins was itself a new institution, established only in 1982, so the issuing authority named in early catalog attributions requires some scrutiny depending on which body actually authorized the 1973 mintage.