3 Dollars - Elizabeth II Lucky Waving Cat

Tuvalu's coinage has long served as a vehicle for novelty bullion issues aimed squarely at the collector market rather than circulation, and this piece is no exception. The lucky cat — the Japanese maneki-neko — became a widely exported cultural symbol through the post-war Taiwanese and Hong Kong manufacturing industries before cementing itself globally in the 1990s. Its appearance on a Tuvaluan gold coin in 2008 reflects the Perth Mint's aggressive pursuit of Asian-market buyers during a period of surging gold demand ahead of the Beijing Olympics.