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The 'East Caribbean dollar' (currency code ''XCD'') is the currency of eight of the nine members of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States. It has existed since 1965 and is normally abbreviated with the dollar sign ''$'' or, alternatively, ''EC$'' to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies. The EC$ is subdivided into 100 cents. It has been pegged to the United States dollar at US$1 = EC$2.7 since 1976.

Contents

States using the EC$

History

Coins

Banknotes

See also

References

External links

States using the EC$

Six of the states using the EC$ are independent states: Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. The other two are British overseas territories: Anguilla and Montserrat. The only OECS member state not using the Eastern Caribbean dollar is British Virgin Islands, which uses the U.S. dollar.
The combined population is close to 600,000 (2005 and 2006 census and estimates), which is comparable to Montenegro.

History

The EC$ replaced the British West Indian dollar (BWI$), used by the defunct West Indies Federation, at par in 1965. Between 1965 and 1983, the Eastern Caribbean Currency Authority issued the EC$, with banknotes from 1965 and coins from 1981.
The EC$ is now issued by the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank, based in the city of Basseterre, in Saint Kitts and Nevis. The bank was established by an agreement (the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank Agreement) signed at Port of Spain on July 5 1983.

Coins

Until 1981, the coins of the BWI$ circulated. In 1981, a new series of coins was introduced in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10 and 25 cents and 1 dollar. The round, aluminium bronze dollar coin was replaced in 1989 with a decagonal, cupro-nickel type. Higher denominations exist, but these were issued only as medal-coins.

2002 Series [1]
Value	Technical parameters			Description			Date of first minting
	Diameter	Mass	Composition	Edge	Obverse	Reverse
1 cent	18.42 mm	1.03 g	Aluminium	Plain	Elizabeth II	Value, year of minting, "Eastern Caribbean States"	2002
2 cents	21.46 mm	1.42 g
5 cents	23.11 mm	1.74 g
10 cents	18.06 mm	2.59 g	Cupronickel	Ribbed		Value, year of minting, "Eastern Caribbean States", ship
25 cents	23.98 mm	6.48 g
1 dollar	26.5 mm	7.98 g		Alternate smooth and ribbed

Banknotes

In 1965, the Eastern Caribbean Currency Authority issued banknotes in denominations of 1, 5, 20 and 100 dollars. The first issues in the name of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank in 1985 were of the same denominations, with the addition of 10 dollars notes. The last 1 dollar notes were issued in 1989 and 50 dollar notes were introduced in 1993.

See also

★ Central banks and currencies of the Caribbean

★ Currency Union

References

★

External links

★ Eastern Caribbean Central Bank

★ Banknotes

★ Coins