Tuvalu's novelty coin program, administered through the Perth Mint under licensing arrangements, produced a run of species-themed issues in the early 2010s aimed squarely at the collector market. The yellow sponge — a marine invertebrate common to Indo-Pacific reef systems surrounding the Tuvaluan atolls — gave the series a degree of geographic relevance that many such programs lack. Mintage on these Perth-struck collector pieces was tightly capped, and secondary market attrition is low given that virtually none entered circulation.
Tuvalu's novelty coin program, administered through the Perth Mint under licensing arrangements, produced a run of species-themed issues in the early 2010s aimed squarely at the collector market. The yellow sponge — a marine invertebrate common to Indo-Pacific reef systems surrounding the Tuvaluan atolls — gave the series a degree of geographic relevance that many such programs lack. Mintage on these Perth-struck collector pieces was tightly capped, and secondary market attrition is low given that virtually none entered circulation.