The Virgin Islands were discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1493. The first British settlement was established on Tortola in 1666. The Virgin Islands were part of the Leeward Islands from 1833 until 1959. They became a British crown colony in 1950.
An Act of 1801 established one copper and five silver denominations of counterstamped (T for Tortola) coins for circulation in the Virgin Islands. British Pounds Sterling (GBP) were used on the islands from 1833 until 1935 when the British West Indies Dollar (XBWD) was introduced. The Eastern Caribbean Territories issued coins for the Virgin Islands in 1955. British Pounds Sterling, British West Indies Dollars and US Dollars were legal tender, but United States Dollars (USD) were and are the primary medium of exchange. Since 1973, the British Virgin Islands have produced coins (VGD) for local use at par with the United States Dollar. The Dollar is divisible into 100 Cents. | 
