1000 Shillings John Paul II, France

Uganda issued this piece as part of a broader wave of commemorative coinage produced for the foreign collector market — a revenue strategy that had little to do with Ugandan monetary policy and everything to do with licensing the papal image ahead of John Paul II's death in April 2005. The coin almost certainly entered production before he died, making it one of several pieces that straddled the line between tribute and anticipatory issue.