1 Tala - Elizabeth II 2nd portrait, Silver Proof Issue

Tokelau — three atolls with a combined land area under 12 square kilometres — began issuing collector coinage in 1978 largely as a revenue measure, the islands having virtually no exportable economy. The 1981 silver proof issue falls within this early series, produced for the international numismatic market rather than any domestic circulation. At the time, Tokelau had no elected government of its own; administration ran entirely through New Zealand's Department of Maori and Island Affairs.

The second portrait of Elizabeth II, by Arnold Machin, was in broad use across Commonwealth territories from 1966 onward.