1 Dollar Shark

Palau began issuing dollar coins in 1994 under a licensing arrangement that allowed foreign minting houses — primarily in the United States and Germany — to produce collectible coinage for a nation whose own financial infrastructure was minimal. The shark dollar series capitalized on Palau's reputation as one of the world's premier shark dive destinations, with Blue Corner and German Channel drawing divers who spent more on a single trip than most Palauans earned in a month.

KM#40 was struck for the collector market and saw essentially no domestic circulation.