Catalog
50 Vatu Olympic Games 1996
| Issuer | Reserve Bank of Vanuatu |
|---|---|
| Year | 1994 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 31.47 g |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | Three competitive swimmers rendered in dynamic relief across three separate lane divisions, depicted in the crawl stroke and occupying the central field of the coin. The swimmers are shown in successive lanes separated by lane rope dividers, conveying motion and athletic competition. The curved legend 'OLYMPIC GAMES 1996' arcs along the upper periphery, while the denomination '50 VATU' is inscribed in the lower field beneath the swimmers. |
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| Additional information |
Vanuatu's participation in the 1996 Atlanta Games marked only the Pacific nation's fourth appearance at a Summer Olympics, having sent its first team to Los Angeles in 1984 — the same year the country issued its earliest commemorative coinage. These Olympic silver issues were produced well ahead of the Games under a licensing arrangement common to small-nation commemoratives of the period, where the issuing authority had no meaningful connection to actual athletic participation and production was typically contracted to overseas mints.
The two-year gap between strike date and the event it commemorates is worth noting for registry purposes.