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 coins under the authority of Tuvalu. Some of these are in the silver five-ounce format (abbreviated as 5 oz). Strictly speaking, they are not bullion as they are priced at a premium and are targeted at collectors who appreciate them for their artistic merit and collectable value and not just for their precious metal content.
This coin is part of a series dedicated to Chinese culture, and features some Ancient Chinese Inventions.
The mint says about it: Ancient China advanced humanity with innumerable inventions, from paper making to rockets. Driven by imaginative and original thinking, its innovative problem solving changed the world in many ways. For example: - China was one of the first builders of ocean-going ships for trade, exploration and military use. - Kites were invented in China more than 2,000 years ago for use in military applications. - In their quest for an elixir offering immortality, ninth century Chinese alchemists instead discovered gunpowder. - The first seismograph for detecting distant earthquakes was created by brilliant polymath Zhang Heng in 132 AD. - Known as a "south-governor", a precursor of the compass was used by Chinese geomancers some 2,500 years ago. |