The Colour of Money... in Jamaica

Jamaican money comes in an assortment of bright colours, this is the $500 note. The currency has quite a low valuation compared to sterling so the notes are quite large. The highest I saw was a JA$1000 note. Avoid the coins as they have pretty much no purchasing power and will just weigh you down.



Jamaican bank notes were first issued in 1837 to coincide with the opening of the first colonial bank in Jamaica. This was quite some time after the Bank of England began issuing notes in 1694 (with predefined notes appearing in 1745). The bank issued notes payable in British pounds, Spanish dollars and local Jamaican currency! This was due to the chequered nature of the country's past, being as it was a Spanish (1494-1655) and then English (1655-1962) colony.