1000 Kwacha - Elizabeth II Queen Mother

Issued to mark the Queen Mother's 100th birthday in 2000, this piece belongs to a wave of commemorative kwacha denominations that Zambia — and dozens of other Commonwealth and non-Commonwealth nations — produced through licensed programs during the 1990s and early 2000s. The Pobjoy Mint handled much of this work, supplying finished coins to small issuing authorities that lacked domestic striking capacity.

The 1,000 kwacha face value was essentially nominal; Zambia's inflation had long since rendered such figures meaningless for domestic commerce.