1 Dollar - Elizabeth II Australian 1930 Penny

This issue commemorates the Australian 1930 penny, the most famous rarity in Australian numismatics. The Melbourne Mint struck a small number of pennies in 1930 during the Depression, having received no official order for that year — the exact mintage remains disputed, with estimates ranging from a few hundred to just over 1,500 pieces. Survivors were largely preserved by collectors who recognized their scarcity almost immediately.

Tuvalu's licensing of Australian numismatic themes for silver dollar issues was a consistent revenue strategy through the 2000s, producing collector pieces with no circulation function whatsoever.