Palau's micro-gold issues occupy an interesting niche: struck under the country's Compact of Free Association with the United States, Palau has no independent central bank, yet issues collector coinage through licensing agreements with the Bavarian State Mint and similar facilities. At 0.5 grams of .9999 fine gold, pieces like this sit at the practical floor of what modern minting equipment can strike with acceptable definition — any smaller and die pressure becomes unmanageable.
Palau's micro-gold issues occupy an interesting niche: struck under the country's Compact of Free Association with the United States, Palau has no independent central bank, yet issues collector coinage through licensing agreements with the Bavarian State Mint and similar facilities. At 0.5 grams of .9999 fine gold, pieces like this sit at the practical floor of what modern minting equipment can strike with acceptable definition — any smaller and die pressure becomes unmanageable.