The Marshall Islands began issuing commemorative coinage in 1986 following the Compact of Free Association with the United States, which granted the republic self-governance while the U.S. retained defense authority. Greg Louganis won both the springboard and platform diving gold medals at the 1988 Seoul Olympics — a feat made more remarkable given that he struck his head on the board during the preliminary round of the springboard event, required stitches, and returned to compete and win.
The .583 fineness is characteristic of the early Marshall Islands gold program, sitting below the more common .999 or .900 standards used by most sovereign mints at the time.
The Marshall Islands began issuing commemorative coinage in 1986 following the Compact of Free Association with the United States, which granted the republic self-governance while the U.S. retained defense authority. Greg Louganis won both the springboard and platform diving gold medals at the 1988 Seoul Olympics — a feat made more remarkable given that he struck his head on the board during the preliminary round of the springboard event, required stitches, and returned to compete and win.
The .583 fineness is characteristic of the early Marshall Islands gold program, sitting below the more common .999 or .900 standards used by most sovereign mints at the time.