Issued to mark Samoa's support for the 1994 FIFA World Cup, which would be hosted jointly by the United States — the first time the tournament was held there. Samoa had no qualification pathway that cycle and no realistic prospect of one, making this a revenue piece aimed squarely at the collector market rather than any expression of footballing ambition.
Tanumafili II, whose name this coin carries, held the position of O le Ao o le Malo — head of state — from 1962 until his death in 2007, the longest-serving such figure in Samoan history.
Issued to mark Samoa's support for the 1994 FIFA World Cup, which would be hosted jointly by the United States — the first time the tournament was held there. Samoa had no qualification pathway that cycle and no realistic prospect of one, making this a revenue piece aimed squarely at the collector market rather than any expression of footballing ambition.
Tanumafili II, whose name this coin carries, held the position of O le Ao o le Malo — head of state — from 1962 until his death in 2007, the longest-serving such figure in Samoan history.