1 Dollar Streaked Spinefoot

Palau has issued marine-themed collector dollars continuously since the late 1990s, targeting the thematic coin market rather than circulation — this piece never saw a cash register. The Streaked Spinefoot, Siganus javus, inhabits the reef systems Palau has staked much of its international identity on protecting, including through its 2009 Shark Sanctuary legislation, the first of its kind nationally.