10 Kina - Elizabeth II Precious Pearl

Papua New Guinea's pearl industry, centered on the Pinctada maxima oyster harvested in the Arafura and Coral Seas, became a significant export commodity in the latter half of the 20th century, drawing Japanese, Australian, and local commercial operations into often-contested waters. This coin was issued as part of a broader wave of Pacific-region numismatic releases pairing oversized silver flans with embedded natural pearls — a format that sells well to thematic collectors but rarely circulates and was never intended to.

The Bank of Papua New Guinea contracted production externally; the coin was not struck at a domestic facility.