250 Shillings Titanic

Somalia's 1998 commemorative program was one of several issued by administrations-in-exile or transitional authorities during the country's prolonged stateless period — the central government had collapsed in 1991, and coin issuing authority during this decade was exercised through licensing arrangements with foreign minting firms, primarily in Europe. The coins are legal tender in name only; no functioning Somali monetary infrastructure existed to distribute them domestically.

KM#42 was issued to coincide with the global Titanic revival sparked by James Cameron's December 1997 film release, part of a wave of commemoratives from small or non-functioning states capitalizing on the licensing moment.