1000 Kwacha Princess Diana

Issued the year after Diana's death in the Paris tunnel crash of August 1997, this is one of dozens of commemorative issues produced by smaller nations capitalizing on the global mourning response. Zambia had no particular connection to Diana beyond the Commonwealth link — the coin exists because the market for Diana memorabilia was, briefly, enormous. These pieces were minted for the collector trade rather than circulation, a common arrangement where a foreign mint produces on behalf of the issuing authority purely for export sale.