Palau didn't issue its first official coinage until 1994, making this 1993 gold essai a pre-independence pattern struck before the republic had formally established its monetary authority. Essais of this type were produced in limited numbers to test dies and gauge international collector interest ahead of the inaugural circulation series — they were never intended for release and exist almost entirely outside official mintage records.
Palau didn't issue its first official coinage until 1994, making this 1993 gold essai a pre-independence pattern struck before the republic had formally established its monetary authority. Essais of this type were produced in limited numbers to test dies and gauge international collector interest ahead of the inaugural circulation series — they were never intended for release and exist almost entirely outside official mintage records.