1 Dollar Dolphin, Gold Proof Issue

Palau's late-1990s and early-2000s gold dollar program was essentially a product of the novelty bullion market — tiny fractional pieces issued primarily for collector sets, with minimal genuine circulation intent. The country adopted the U.S. dollar as its official currency upon independence in 1994, which left it without a domestic mint infrastructure and dependent entirely on foreign striking facilities, in this case the work going through intermediary distributors rather than a sovereign mint.

KM#100 is part of a broader marine-themed series that leaned heavily on Palau's reputation as a Pacific dive destination to drive collector interest abroad.