500 Liras Alexander the Great

The Sovereign Military Order of Malta retains the legal status of a sovereign entity under international law — complete with diplomatic relations and passport issuance — despite holding no territory since the fall of Malta to Napoleon in 1798. Its coinage issues are legal tender in name, though none circulate. This 1999 piece belongs to a prolific collector series the Order produced through the 1990s, largely through arrangements with private minting contractors rather than any facility under its own control.