100 Dollars Moorish idol

Belize gained independence from Britain in September 1981, making this 1980 issue one of the last coins struck under the transition government before full sovereignty. The Central Bank issued a series of gold wildlife pieces in this period, partly to attract foreign collector revenue at a moment when the young nation's hard currency reserves were thin.

.500 fineness was an unusual choice — low for a modern gold commemorative — almost certainly a cost decision to keep the gold content accessible to a broader collector market without reducing physical size.