Struck the year after Diana's death in the Paris tunnel crash of August 1997, this Niuean commemorative is one of dozens of similar issues that flooded the market from small Pacific and Caribbean jurisdictions in 1997–1998. Niue had been issuing licensed commemorative silver coins since the late 1980s, effectively leasing its monetary authority to foreign distributors. Most of these pieces were sold directly to collectors and never circulated — Niue's actual population at the time was under 2,000.
Struck the year after Diana's death in the Paris tunnel crash of August 1997, this Niuean commemorative is one of dozens of similar issues that flooded the market from small Pacific and Caribbean jurisdictions in 1997–1998. Niue had been issuing licensed commemorative silver coins since the late 1980s, effectively leasing its monetary authority to foreign distributors. Most of these pieces were sold directly to collectors and never circulated — Niue's actual population at the time was under 2,000.