Papua New Guinea's bimetallic kina coinage has an unusual origin: the kina itself was introduced in 1975 at independence, its name taken from the Motu and Tolai word for the gold-lipped pearl oyster shell, which served as a traditional currency across much of the Papuan coast. The steel-composition 3 kina is a relatively recent denomination introduced to rationalize everyday transactions as lower-denomination coins lost practical purchasing value.
Papua New Guinea's bimetallic kina coinage has an unusual origin: the kina itself was introduced in 1975 at independence, its name taken from the Motu and Tolai word for the gold-lipped pearl oyster shell, which served as a traditional currency across much of the Papuan coast. The steel-composition 3 kina is a relatively recent denomination introduced to rationalize everyday transactions as lower-denomination coins lost practical purchasing value.