Kiribati dollar

The Kiribati dollar is one of the two official currencies of Kiribati. The Kiribati coins are pegged at 1:1 ratio to the Australian dollar, the other official currency of Kiribati. Kiribati coins were issued in 1979 and circulate alongside banknotes and coins of the Australian dollar. In present day, Kiribati coins are rare in comparison to Australian coins with the last minor emission made in 1992, and these old coins are now generally collector's items. The complete emissions of coins were made in 1979 and in 1989 for the tenth anniversary of independence.

Before independence, Australian coins were used in Kiribati (then part of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands) from 1966 until 1979. Previous to Australia's introduction of the dollar, the Australian pound, since World War I, was chiefly used throughout the islands, though Gilbert and Ellice Islands banknotes issued in the 1940s were also in use and were redeemable for Pound Sterling at face value.

During Japanese occupation of the islands during World War II, the Oceanian pound, an all banknote currency created by the Japanese Government to be a universal currency for the Pacific, was in use. The Australian pound was restored, always in use in the atolls not occupied by Japan, as the official currency after the war ended.

A call to issue coinage for an independent Kiribati in 1979 was made to legitimise its new political status, and although Australian banknotes would be used, the decision to issue domestic coins was widely favoured and accepted. A two dollar coin was introduced in 1989 to replace the note and celebrate the nation's tenth anniversary.

Kiribati's first coins were introduced in 1979 following independence and were directly pegged to the Australian dollar. The coins were initially issued in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50-cents, and 1 dollar.

Except for the 50 cents and 1 dollar pieces, all of these coins are the same size, weight, and composition as the corresponding Australian coins, with the 1 and 2 cents pieces composed of bronze and the 5, 10, 20, 50 cents pieces, and $1 being composed of cupro-nickel. As usual for other Pacific island states, only the lower denominations (1-20 cents) share any commonality, with the largest denominations being unique to their respective countries. The 50-cents piece is round with reeded edges, unlike the dodecagonal (twelve sided) Australian equivalent. The Kiribati 1 dollar is the same twelve sided shape as Australia's 50 cents coin, but it is smaller and weighs 4.3 grams less than both the Australian and Kiribati half dollars.

In 1989, nickel-brass 2 dollar coins were introduced coinciding with Kiribati's tenth anniversary of independence, and followed Australia's issuance of its 2 dollar coin and withdrawal of the 2 dollar note in 1988. The Kiribati $2 piece is round and much larger than Australia's comparatively tiny $2 piece, with the same circumference of the 20-cents coin and a thickness similar to the British 1 Pound coin.

Most Kiribati coins are dated 1979, marking an event to coincide with independence, but with some exception. In 1992, Kiribati began producing 1 and 2 cents pieces in copper-plated steel and 5 cents pieces in nickel-plated steel re-struck off of 1979 planchets. These coins are distinct in their lustre and obvious attraction to a magnet and were produced to compensate for Australia's discontinuation of the two lowest denominations. However, a small mintage of the 1992 issue 1 cent was struck in bronze. 10-, 20-, 50-cents, and $1 coins have yet to appear as later issues and do not appear to be restrike coins. So most of the denominations remain as a single date issue. Although Kiribati retained 1 and 2 cents coins well after Australia demoted theirs, redundancy and devaluation has slowly removed these coins from general circulation.