5 Cents - Elizabeth II 3rd portrait

Fiji's 2009 coinage reform replaced the long-running Elizabeth II second portrait series and coincided with a significant political moment — the islands were under military rule following Frank Bainimarama's 2006 coup, and the Reserve Bank was operating under an interim government that had been suspended from the Pacific Islands Forum. The nickel-plated steel composition adopted here replaced the earlier copper-nickel, a cost-driven change common across Pacific island currencies during the late 2000s commodities price surge.

The series was short-lived. Fiji decimalized its coinage again in 2012, retiring these pieces after just three years of circulation.