5 Dollars - Elizabeth II Koala

The Solomon Islands has issued collector coinage under its own authority since independence in 1978, but by the 2010s the Central Bank had become a prolific vehicle for third-party bullion and numismatic programs with little organic connection to the islands themselves. This piece belongs squarely to that trade — a licensed Australian wildlife theme struck for the international bullion collector market, using Solomon Islands denomination authority as a regulatory convenience.

The koala series from this period faced stiff competition from the Perth Mint's own long-running Australian Koala program, first issued in 1987.