5 Dollars - Elizabeth II

The Bahamas gained full independence from Britain in July 1973, and this issue spans precisely the transition — struck first as a colonial currency piece in 1972, then as coinage of a newly sovereign nation in its independence year. The Central Bank itself had only been established in 1974, meaning the 1973 pieces were issued under institutional arrangements still in flux.

At 42.12 grams of .925 silver, these were never intended as pocket change — the denomination was substantial enough to function more as a semi-official commemorative, targeting the collector market that Caribbean independence issues reliably attracted in the early 1970s.