5 Shillings

Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991 following the collapse of the Siad Barre regime, but has received no formal international recognition. Its coinage therefore occupies an unusual legal position — struck as functional currency for a de facto state that most of the world officially treats as nonexistent. The Bank of Somaliland began issuing aluminium coins in the early 2000s partly to assert administrative normalcy and partly because the Somali shilling had become essentially worthless in the north.

Aluminium was the practical choice given the territory's limited resources and the negligible face value involved.