Tuvalu's coin program has long been managed by the Perth Mint under licensing arrangements that allow the nine-atoll nation — with a population under 12,000 and no mint of its own — to generate revenue through numismatic issues rather than circulating coinage. The F/A-22 Raptor entered U.S. Air Force service in December 2005, just months before this piece was struck, making it among the earliest commemorative coins issued for the aircraft anywhere.
The gold plating on these issues is applied after striking, a process Perth Mint refined extensively through the 1990s.
Tuvalu's coin program has long been managed by the Perth Mint under licensing arrangements that allow the nine-atoll nation — with a population under 12,000 and no mint of its own — to generate revenue through numismatic issues rather than circulating coinage. The F/A-22 Raptor entered U.S. Air Force service in December 2005, just months before this piece was struck, making it among the earliest commemorative coins issued for the aircraft anywhere.
The gold plating on these issues is applied after striking, a process Perth Mint refined extensively through the 1990s.