Fiji 1986 200 dollars
Sterling coinage was issued for the islands starting in 1934. World War Two issues were extensively saved by military personnel stationed there and those are the dates most commonly seen today. Decimal conversion occurred in 1967-69, the same time as Britain. Fiji left the British Commonwealth in 1987 but rejoined in 1997. This specimen was lot 32741 in Heritage sale 3064 (Chicago, April 2018), where it sold for $720. The catalog description[1] noted, "British Colony. Elizabeth II gold Proof 200 Dollars 1986 PR69 Ultra Cameo NGC. A flashy and highly reflective issue celebrating the 25th anniversary of the World Wildlife Fund featuring an ogmodon." To quote from Wikipedia, "The Fiji Snake (Ogmodon vitianus), also known as the Bolo Snake is a species of snake in the family Elapidae. It is monotypic within the genus Ogmodon. It is endemic to Fiji, found only on the island of Viti Levu, and is strongly subterranean. Conservation status: Endangered."
Recorded mintage: 5,000.
Specification: 15.98 g, 0.917 fine gold (same standard as a British two pounds).
Catalog reference: KM 56.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901-2000, 47th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- [1]Cristiano Bierrenbach and Warren Tucker, Heritage World Coin Auction 3064, featuring the Doug Robins Collection of Canadian Tokens, Dallas, TX: Heritage Auction Galleries, 2018.
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