100 Vatu Coronation of King George VI

Vanuatu gained independence from joint British-French administration in 1980, making a 1995 commemorative honoring a 1937 British coronation a curious choice — the islands had no formal relationship with the Crown at the time of George VI's accession. The issue belongs to a wave of Pacific island commemorative programs driven almost entirely by the international collector market rather than any domestic commemorative tradition.

George VI's coronation followed Edward VIII's abdication in December 1936 after less than a year on the throne.