10 Dollars - Elizabeth II 2nd portrait, Rebecca

Tuvalu issued its first national coinage in 1976, just one year after gaining internal self-governance and three years before full independence from Britain in 1978. This 1979 dollar series — featuring figures from Tuvaluan oral tradition — represents one of the earliest sovereign numismatic programs from a Pacific microstate, struck at the Royal Australian Mint as part of a broader effort to establish national identity through circulating and collector coinage simultaneously. Rebecca is a figure drawn from local legend.

The .500 fine silver specification was a deliberate cost compromise, keeping collector pieces accessible to a small-population nation with extremely limited treasury resources.