Tanumafili II held the O le Ao o le Malo — the head of state position — of Samoa from independence in 1962 until his death in 2007, making him one of the longest-serving heads of state of the 20th century. The Latin phrase on this issue, Tempora Mutantur ("times change"), comes from a hexameter verse attributed to various classical sources and was a common device in commemorative coinage of the period when Pacific island nations were asserting numismatic programs as part of broader soft-power and foreign currency revenue strategies.
At 3.89 g of .999 gold, this is a fractional issue almost certainly struck by a contract mint for collector export rather than domestic circulation.
Tanumafili II held the O le Ao o le Malo — the head of state position — of Samoa from independence in 1962 until his death in 2007, making him one of the longest-serving heads of state of the 20th century. The Latin phrase on this issue, Tempora Mutantur ("times change"), comes from a hexameter verse attributed to various classical sources and was a common device in commemorative coinage of the period when Pacific island nations were asserting numismatic programs as part of broader soft-power and foreign currency revenue strategies.
At 3.89 g of .999 gold, this is a fractional issue almost certainly struck by a contract mint for collector export rather than domestic circulation.