1 Dollar Pope John Paul II

Palau has issued commemorative dollars under its licensing agreements with the Pobjoy Mint and others since the 1990s, producing religious and ecological themes almost industrially. This John Paul II piece appeared roughly five years after his death in April 2005, during the period when his beatification cause was already advancing under Benedict XVI — he was formally beatified in May 2011, just one year after this coin's release.

Silver-plated copper issues of this type were struck in the tens of thousands and distributed primarily through the collector and gift trade rather than any circulation channel.