5 Dollars - Elizabeth II Posthumous, Year of the Rabbit

Solomon Islands has functioned as a licensing vehicle for the Perth Mint and other private bullion producers for decades, issuing commemorative coinage with no meaningful connection to local monetary circulation. This Lunar Series piece is a product of that arrangement — a collector bullion coin sold directly into the international numismatic market, never intended to pass through a cash register in Honiara.

Struck in 2023, it is among the first posthumous issues bearing Elizabeth II's effigy following her death in September 2022. The Raphael Maklouf or Ian Rank-Broadley portrait — depending on the specific die used for this issue — would have been licensed prior to her death, making the 2023 dating a transitional artifact of royal portraiture in Commonwealth coinage.