The Solomon Islands has operated a long-running program of large-format collector dollars aimed squarely at the international novelty market, with subjects ranging from ancient history to pop culture entirely unconnected to the Pacific nation issuing them. Cleopatra VII — last active ruler of the Ptolemaic Kingdom — is a recurring subject across multiple issuers in this genre, her commercial appeal reliable enough to appear on coins from a dozen jurisdictions that have no historical relationship to Egypt whatsoever.
Black nickel plating with selective gold application was popularized by the Czech Mint and similar contract facilities in the 2010s, when demand for visually dramatic low-mintage pieces expanded the market for this kind of licensed subject issue.
The Solomon Islands has operated a long-running program of large-format collector dollars aimed squarely at the international novelty market, with subjects ranging from ancient history to pop culture entirely unconnected to the Pacific nation issuing them. Cleopatra VII — last active ruler of the Ptolemaic Kingdom — is a recurring subject across multiple issuers in this genre, her commercial appeal reliable enough to appear on coins from a dozen jurisdictions that have no historical relationship to Egypt whatsoever.
Black nickel plating with selective gold application was popularized by the Czech Mint and similar contract facilities in the 2010s, when demand for visually dramatic low-mintage pieces expanded the market for this kind of licensed subject issue.