Catalog
½ Dollar - Charles III Pioneer 1
| Issuer | Central Bank of Samoa |
|---|---|
| Year | 2023 |
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| Value | ½ Dollar ½ WST = RSD 19 |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse features a vivid full-colour depiction of the NASA Pioneer 1 spacecraft in orbit above Earth, its disc-shaped antenna and extending booms rendered in fine relief against a deep black starfield. The curved blue-and-white arc of Earth's atmosphere sweeps across the lower field, with the Moon visible to the right. The NASA meatball insignia appears in colour at the left, while the bold legend 'PIONEER 1' arcs across the upper field and the launch year '1958' is prominently inscribed below it in large raised numerals. The word 'NASA' appears beneath the agency's logo. |
| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
Samoa has issued commemorative coinage under foreign monarchs for decades, leveraging its Commonwealth status to produce collector pieces that have no circulation function whatsoever. This "Pioneer 1" release is one of a numbered series marking Charles III's accession, struck in silver-plated iron rather than solid silver — a cost-reduction approach increasingly common in the Pacific island commemorative market, where face value bears no relationship to production cost or collector price.