5 Dollars Vatican City

Liberia's early 2000s collector program produced a sprawling series of foreign-themed commemoratives with no connection to Liberian history, politics, or geography — this Vatican-themed niobium piece being a characteristic example. The Central Bank issued these almost exclusively for the international novelty coin market, not domestic circulation. Niobium's use here follows the Austrian Mint's pioneering bimetallic niobium-silver coins begun in 2003, which sparked a wave of imitators among smaller issuing authorities looking to attract collector premiums through unusual metal choices.