Catalog
5 Dollars - Elizabeth II Royal Wedding
| Issuer | Government of Tuvalu |
|---|---|
| Year | 1981 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Round |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | QUEEN ELIZABETH THE SECOND |
| Reverse description | The reverse features the three-feathered badge of the Prince of Wales prominently displayed in the upper left of the field, with a coronet below bearing the motto scroll inscribed ICH DIEN. To the right, the denomination FIVE DOLLARS and the commemorative inscription ROYAL WEDDING appear in two lines. In the lower right, an intertwined royal cipher of Charles and Diana is flanked by floral sprigs. The legend TUVALU 1981 is inscribed along the lower periphery in bold raised characters. |
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| Additional information |
Tuvalu gained independence from British colonial administration in 1978, making the 1981 royal wedding issue one of the young nation's earliest commemorative strikes. The wedding of Charles and Diana on 29 July 1981 prompted a wave of issues across Commonwealth mints, and Tuvalu — with a population then under eight thousand — participated as a quiet assertion of its place within the Commonwealth framework.
The copper-nickel specification mirrors the Crown-sized format adopted by the Royal Mint and numerous Commonwealth affiliates for the same event, suggesting the blanks or at minimum the specifications were coordinated rather than independently determined.