Catalog
5 Dollars Independence and British Royal Wedding
| Issuer | Government of Kiribati |
|---|---|
| Year | 1981 |
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| Technique | Milled |
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|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | JULY 1981 INDEPENDENCE·SECOND ANNIVERSARY |
| Reverse description | The three ostrich feathers badge of the Prince of Wales, issuing from a coronet composed of crosses-pattée and fleurs-de-lis, occupies the central field. The intertwined initials C and D, representing Charles and Diana, flank the coronet in the left and right fields respectively. A decorative ribbon banner below the coronet bears the inscription BRITISH ROYAL WEDDING, with flanking scrolls inscribed JULY to the left and 1981 to the right. The country name KIRIBATI and denomination 5 DOLLARS are inscribed along the lower border. |
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| Additional information |
Kiribati gained independence from Britain on July 12, 1979, having been administered as the Gilbert Islands colony. The 1981 dual-theme issue — pairing that independence with the Charles and Diana wedding — was a calculated production aimed squarely at the collector and thematic coin market that exploded around royal commemoratives in that year. Dozens of Commonwealth and associated territories issued nearly identical silver pieces for the Wales wedding, many sharing the same contracted private mint production.
KM#10a is the silver variant; a cupro-nickel circulation strike (KM#10) was issued alongside it.