5 Dollars - Elizabeth II Death of Princess Diana

Tuvalu's inclusion in the wave of Diana memorial issues flooding world mints in late 1997 and 1998 reflects less about any particular connection between the princess and this nine-island Pacific nation than it does about the Royal Australian Mint's aggressive marketing of commemorative programs to Pacific territories under Australian monetary influence. Dozens of sovereign and semi-sovereign issuers produced near-identical memorial coins within months of the August 1997 crash in Paris.

Collector demand collapsed faster than most dealers anticipated. Within two years of issue, secondary market prices had dropped well below original retail across nearly all Diana commemoratives regardless of issuer or composition.