Tuvalu gained independence in 1978, separating from the Gilbert Islands largely over ethnic and cultural distinctions between Micronesian and Polynesian populations. Elizabeth II's 1982 Pacific tour included stops across several newly independent Commonwealth states, and this proof issue was struck to mark that visit — one of the few occasions the monarch traveled to a nation with a total land area under 26 square kilometers.
The .925 silver proof series ran parallel to a cupro-nickel circulation strike; the KM#15a designation distinguishes the precious metal version from its base-metal counterpart.
Tuvalu gained independence in 1978, separating from the Gilbert Islands largely over ethnic and cultural distinctions between Micronesian and Polynesian populations. Elizabeth II's 1982 Pacific tour included stops across several newly independent Commonwealth states, and this proof issue was struck to mark that visit — one of the few occasions the monarch traveled to a nation with a total land area under 26 square kilometers.
The .925 silver proof series ran parallel to a cupro-nickel circulation strike; the KM#15a designation distinguishes the precious metal version from its base-metal counterpart.