Note of the Month: Bahamas 3 Dollars

Posted on 7/22/2025

The birthstone for July is the ruby, which you can find in the queen's Burmese Ruby Tiara on this banknote.



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Country: Bahamas

Catalog Number: 78

Date: 2019

Denomination: 3 Dollars

Varieties: The PMG Population Report also lists Pick# 78* for Star / Replacement notes.

What makes it special? The birthstone for July is the ruby. This banknote (and several others from the Bahamas) shows Queen Elizabeth II wearing the Burmese Ruby Tiara. She commissioned the tiara herself in the 1970s using rubies she had received as a wedding gift from Myanmar (formerly called Burma), one of the world's top ruby-producing countries.

Did you know? Rubies are one of the most expensive birthstones. The largest mined ruby in the world is the Liberty Bell Ruby, which weighs four pounds and was sculpted into the shape of the Liberty Bell. With 50 diamonds and a value of $2 million, the ruby was stolen in 2011.

Total graded by PMG: As of mid-July 2025, the PMG Population Report includes 236 examples of Pick# 78 and 60 examples of Pick# 78*.

PMG median grade: PMG 67 Superb Gem Uncirculated EPQ

PMG highest graded: Two examples of Pick# 78 are graded PMG 70★ Gem Uncirculated EPQ.

Sales highlights: An example with a Binary-Repeater Serial Number realized $67 through Heritage Auctions in 2021. An example graded PMG 69★ Superb Gem Uncirculated EPQ sold for €75 through Crown Currency Auctions in September 2023 while an example graded PMG 68 Superb Gem Uncirculated EPQ sold for €26 in July 2023.

PMG Registry: This note is part of several Bahamas categories in the PMG Registry, including Bahamas, 1897-Date, Type Set, Issued Notes, where the first-place set, Brufe's AB's Bahamas Notes, has a Pick #78 graded PMG 68 Superb Gem Uncirculated EPQ. The same note appears in Brufe's AB's Bahamas 1974 - Current set, which is currently second in the Central Bank, 1974-Date, P35-Date, Issued Notes, Including Varieties category.

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Note of the Month: Bahamas 3 Dollars

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