20 Dollars Babylon

Palau has operated one of the more prolific numismatic programs in the Pacific, issuing collector coins since 1992 despite having no meaningful domestic coin-using economy — the US dollar circulates there in paper form. The Babylon issue belongs to a broader ancient civilizations series aimed squarely at the global collector market, produced under license arrangements typical of small-nation commemorative programs where the issuing state receives a fee and the coins never touch Palauan soil.

At 155.5 g, the dies required to strike this piece would have been running at the upper edge of standard planchet presses, likely requiring multiple strikes to achieve full relief.