Tuvalu has issued lunar-series coinage under Australian licensing arrangements since the 1990s, with the Royal Australian Mint and Perth Mint both producing issues attributed to the territory. This Tiger piece falls within the twelve-year cycle that Perth Mint has marketed aggressively into the Asian collector market, where demand for lunar issues consistently outpaces that of Western buyers.
Tuvalu itself has no independent central bank — monetary policy is governed by Australia, and the Australian dollar circulates as legal tender. The face value on these coins is nominal fiction.
Tuvalu has issued lunar-series coinage under Australian licensing arrangements since the 1990s, with the Royal Australian Mint and Perth Mint both producing issues attributed to the territory. This Tiger piece falls within the twelve-year cycle that Perth Mint has marketed aggressively into the Asian collector market, where demand for lunar issues consistently outpaces that of Western buyers.
Tuvalu itself has no independent central bank — monetary policy is governed by Australia, and the Australian dollar circulates as legal tender. The face value on these coins is nominal fiction.