10 Dollars - Elizabeth II 100 Escudos 1609

This piece belongs to a series issued by the Solomon Islands that repurposes its nominal face value as little more than legal tender formality — the actual subject is the Portuguese 100 Escudos struck during the reign of Philip III (Philip II of Portugal) in 1609, a coin produced while the Iberian Union placed the Portuguese crown under Habsburg rule. That political arrangement, forced following the extinction of the Aviz dynasty in 1580, fundamentally redirected Portuguese colonial revenue flows through Madrid for six decades.

The 45 mm diameter against a 0.311 g gold weight identifies this immediately as a decorative restrike with an inserted coin replica rather than a struck bullion piece of conventional proportions.