10 Dollars Ankylosaurus

Eritrea declared independence from Ethiopia in May 1993 following a UN-supervised referendum, and this coin is among the earliest issues struck under the newly established Bank of Eritrea — a institution that barely existed when the dies were cut. The choice of an Ankylosaurus for a fledgling Horn of Africa nation has nothing to do with local paleontology; these coins were produced for the international collector market, contracted through foreign minting arrangements common to small new states needing hard currency and international visibility simultaneously.