{"product_id":"1982-bahamas-1-cent-starfish-commonwealth-arms-vf","title":"1982 Bahamas 1 Cent — Commonwealth of the Bahamas \/ Starfish — Brass — VF to VF+","description":"\u003cp\u003e☢️ Scooped from a handful of change at a Nassau straw market, this one-cent coin carried a creature that has lived on Bahamian money longer than the Bahamas has been a country — the starfish, which first appeared on the denomination in 1966, seven years before independence.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThis 1982 Bahamas 1 cent features a Bahama starfish — the red cushion sea star, Oreaster reticulatus — filling the entire reverse face with a textural density that makes the coin feel almost biological. The mesh-like surface of the starfish's skin is rendered in raised dots and ridges that you can feel with your fingertip, and the five arms extend to the edge of the coin as if the creature is pressing against the metal that contains it. The design has been on the Bahamian one-cent coin since the first year of the country's own currency.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThe obverse carries the coat of arms of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas: a blue marlin and a flamingo supporting a shield with a rising sun over the sea, topped by a conch shell and a helmet. The motto on the banner reads FORWARD UPWARD ONWARD TOGETHER. This coat of arms replaced Elizabeth II's portrait on the obverse beginning in 1974, one year after independence — the queen had appeared on the 1966–1973 colonial issues, but the newly sovereign Bahamas chose its own symbols.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e💡 Everyday Life at the Time\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e In 1982, one Bahamian cent — equal to one US cent at the fixed peg — bought nothing independently but mattered in the rounding of cash transactions at markets, groceries, and tourist shops across Nassau and the Family Islands. The Bahamas was riding the peak of its tourism boom, with cruise ships docking in Nassau harbor daily and the straw market on Bay Street serving as the economic and cultural crossroads where visitors and locals exchanged money across the same counters.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e📜 Historical Context\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The Bahamas gained independence from Britain on July 10, 1973, after the House of Lords passed the Bahamas Independence Bill. The country remained a Commonwealth realm with Elizabeth II as head of state, but the coins issued from 1974 onward replaced her portrait with the national coat of arms — the same visual sovereignty choice that Barbados and Jamaica made in the same era. The starfish on the reverse predated independence, having appeared on every one-cent coin since 1966, and it survived the transition unchanged.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThe one-cent denomination was eventually withdrawn from circulation on December 31, 2020, after decades of inflationary erosion had rendered it functionally worthless. The starfish that had circulated on Bahamian money for fifty-four years — from colonial rule through independence through the modern era — lost its place on active currency. This 1982 coin sits in the middle of that span: a post-independence, pre-demonetization artifact from a denomination that no longer exists.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e🧾 Coin Details\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Country: The Bahamas\u003cbr\u003eDenomination: 1 Cent\u003cbr\u003eYear: 1982\u003cbr\u003eGovernment: Commonwealth of the Bahamas (Elizabeth II, head of state)\u003cbr\u003eComposition: Brass\u003cbr\u003eWeight: 3.16 g\u003cbr\u003eDiameter: 19.05 mm\u003cbr\u003eThickness: 1.40 mm\u003cbr\u003eMintage: Circulation strike\u003cbr\u003eCondition: VF to VF+ — the starfish retains its characteristic surface texture of raised dots and ridges across all five arms; the coat of arms shows the marlin, flamingo, conch shell, and rising sun in clear detail; warm brass tone with natural patina from decades of Caribbean circulation\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThe brass composition gives this coin a warm golden color that deepens with age, and this particular example has developed the kind of honest patina that makes a coin look like it belongs in a museum case rather than a tip jar. The starfish fills the reverse so completely that the denomination — ONE CENT — has to squeeze into the space between two arms. At just over three grams and nineteen millimeters, the coin sits in the palm with a satisfying weight for its size, and the textured surface of the starfish is tactile enough to identify by touch alone.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e⭐ Why This Coin Is a Great Collectible\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e • Features the Bahama starfish — Oreaster reticulatus, the red cushion sea star — filling the entire reverse with biological detail\u003cbr\u003e• The starfish has appeared on Bahamian one-cent coins since 1966, predating independence by seven years\u003cbr\u003e• National coat of arms obverse with marlin and flamingo — the queen's portrait was removed after independence in 1973\u003cbr\u003e• Denomination withdrawn from circulation on December 31, 2020 — a dead coin carrying a living creature\u003cbr\u003e• Brass composition with warm golden tone and natural patina — visually distinct from the silver-colored copper-nickel coins in the Caribbean collection\u003cbr\u003e• FORWARD UPWARD ONWARD TOGETHER — the Bahamian motto on the banner below the shield\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e💡 Collector Tip\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Once you hold this brass starfish next to the copper-nickel gulls and crayfish of Barbados and the Cayman Islands, you realize the Caribbean collection is becoming an underwater reef in miniature — each island chose a different marine creature for its smallest coins, and together they form a portrait of the region's relationship to the sea. The kind of collector who arranges Caribbean coins by marine life instead of by country is the kind who starts to see the collection as an ecosystem, not a political map.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eYou will receive the exact coin shown in these photographs. All coins are authentic and unaltered — we don't enhance patina or touch up surfaces. Grades are conservative; circulated pieces show honest wear from actual use, not damage or mishandling. Carefully packaged. Ships promptly with tracking.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThe starfish was on the money before the country existed. It was still on the money when the denomination was retired. Fifty-four years on a coin is a long time. For a creature that predates the dinosaurs, it was a brief visit.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"WadesCoinShop","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48034856042710,"sku":"S-CARIB-BAH-1CT-1982","price":0.89,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0811\/4939\/5158\/files\/20260329_203914.jpg?v=1775249056","url":"https:\/\/wadescoinshop.myshopify.com\/products\/1982-bahamas-1-cent-starfish-commonwealth-arms-vf","provider":"WadesCoinShop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}