The Tuvaluan Dollar is the currency of Tuvalu - a small nation in the Pacific Ocean. Tuvalu has never had banknotes of its own, and has been issuing coins since 1976; these circulate together with coins of the Australian Dollar, which is also legal tender in the country, and to which the Tuvaluan Dollar is pegged.
The Australian Perth Mint issues a large variety of non-circulating legal tender (NCLT) coins under the authority of Tuvalu. Some of these are in the one dollar denomination, and have the same specifications that the mint uses for its large non-circulating Australian dollar range; these are larger than the normal circulating dollar coins.
This coin was issued to celebrate the Diwali Festival in 2018. The Mint says about it: This vividly coloured postal numismatic coin cover captures the essence of the ancient "festival of lights" Diwali, which is celebrated by millions of Hindus, Sikhs, Jains and some Buddhists around the world. During the jubilant festivities Ganesha is worshipped as the deity of intellect and remover of obstacles to welcome wisdom along with wealth. Ganesha is typically portrayed with the head of an elephant, a rotund belly and four arms. He is often depicted holding an axe to cut down ignorance and a lotus flower, the symbol of enlightenment, with a rat or mouse at his feet. |