10 Vatu Louis XIV

One of a sprawling series of miniature 14-karat gold issues produced for the collector market by the Reserve Bank of Vanuatu in partnership with European minting houses, this piece has no connection to Vanuatu's history or economy beyond the issuing authority's name. Louis XIV's reign saw France produce some of the most technically accomplished coinage in Europe, but this coin is a modern commemorative vehicle — Vanuatu has issued dozens of similar tiny-gold pieces bearing historical figures from cultures entirely unrelated to the archipelago.