1/2 Dollar - Elizabeth II Posthumous, Tutankhamun sarcophagus

The Solomon Islands has operated a prolific commemorative program since the 1970s, licensing foreign mints — primarily the Pobjoy Mint and later B.H. Mayer's — to produce collector issues with no meaningful domestic circulation. This piece belongs to that category entirely: a bullion-adjacent souvenir denominated in a currency few ever handle, bearing a face value that bears no relationship to production cost.

Tutankhamun's tomb was discovered by Howard Carter in November 1922, making 2023 roughly the centenary of its excavation. The sarcophagus depicted here is the outermost of three nested coffins — the innermost being solid gold — recovered from KV62 in the Valley of the Kings.