Tuvalu 2018 5 dollars
This specimen was lot 812 in Goldberg Sale 145 (Los Angeles, February 2025), where it sold for $264. The catalog description[1] noted, "Tuvalu. 5 Dollars, 2018. 5 Ounce Silver .9999 Fine. Perth Mint. Elizabeth II. Reverse: Features a dragon chasing a flaming pearl surrounded by stylised mist and inscribed with the Chinese character for 'dragon.' In original case with certificate number 79. Only 500 struck. Choice Uncirculated." Tuvalu is a Pacific island nation within the British Commonwealth. It was known as the Ellice Islands before independence in 1978. The islands were used as a staging area for US forces during attacks on the Japanese occupied Gilbert Islands (now Kiribati) during World War Two. Today, the population is about 10,000 and the major economic activity is processing frozen fish and remittances from Tuvaluans who work as merchant seamen. The Tuvaluan dollar is pegged to the Australian dollar. The last coinage for local circulation was struck in 1985, so locals probably use Australian or New Zealand coins for ordinary transactions. This NCLT, struck for the Chinese market, did not use the dragon found on imperial Chinese coinage but instead the Japanese version found on the Meiji era yen. We don't know if this affected sales.
Recorded mintage: 500.
Specification: 155.5 g, 0.999 fine silver, 55.5 mm diameter.
Catalog reference: KM unlisted.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 2001-Date, 13th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2018.
- [1]Goldberg, Ira, Stephen Harvey and Vera Kan, Goldberg Sale 145: US Coins & Currency, Ancient & World Coins, the pre-Long Beach Auction, Los Angeles: Goldberg Coins and Collectibles, 2025.
Link to: