10 Dollars - Elizabeth II Queen Mother

Issued to mark the Queen Mother's 100th birthday in August 2000, this coin appeared during a particularly turbulent year for Fiji — George Speight's coup in May had suspended the constitution and briefly ousted the Chaudhry government, leaving the country under military oversight when the coin was released. Commemorative issues continued regardless, a function of pre-contracted mint programs that proceed independent of domestic political conditions.

The bimetallic format with a gold-plated outer ring was a common device in late-1990s commemorative production, used to suggest prestige without the cost of a true bimetallic blank.