Solomon Islands - 1978 - Annual Proof Coin Set

Solomon Islands - 1978 - Annual Proof Coin Set

This coin of the realm set contains Proofs of the 1978 coinage of the Solomon Islands.

The obverse of each coin bears the official portrait of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II created by the world-famous sculptor Arnold Machin, O.B.E. The reverses bear finely detailed images identified with the culture and distinct character of the Solomon Islands.

The sterling silver five-dollar coin depicts a bokolo, a hand-carved fossilized clam shell from Vella Lavella Island that was once used as currency and is still highly treasured today. The one-dollar coin, minted in cupro-nickel, features a carving of a sea spirit which was attached to the prow of war canoes. This carving is known as a nusu-nusu head.

The cupro-nickel twenty-cent piece displays the traditional

pendant design from Malaita, second largest of the Solomon Islands. The sea spirit Ngoreru, as carved in the eastern Solomon Islands, is the subject of the cupro-nickel ten-cent coin, and a stylized face from Santa Ysabel Island appears on the five-cent coin, minted in cupro-nickel. The copper alloy two-cent piece depicts the eagle spirit of Mbilua and the one-cent coin, also minted in copper alloy, features a food bowl used in the eastern Solomon Islands.

Located in the western Pacific Ocean northeast of Australia, the Solomon Islands formerly made use of Australian currency. The nation is an archipelago that includes six main islands, the largest of which is Guadalcanal, and hundreds of smaller islands. Before attaining independence this year, the islands were a protectorate of Great Britain.