Tokelau, the Polynesian group of atolls with a population of 1,400 people, has issued several interesting coins intended for international collectors. Although Tokelau uses New Zealand dollar coins for regular circulation, its silver and gold proofs are popular with Oceanian coin collectors.
The designs on Tokelauan coins tend to be rather simple, and generally show Queen Elizabeth II on the obverse. Coins show their face values using the dollar symbol — i.e., $1 — and also in the Tokelauan language using the English alphabet (tala is the Tokelauan word for dollar).
Denominations of Tokelauan coins
Tala: 1, 5, 10, 50, 100
While all of the above are shown on the coins using the dollar symbol — $1, $5, et cetera — some (but not all) also write the denomination out in Tokelauan:
$1: tahi tala (i.e., “one tala” or “one dollar”)
$5: lima tala
$10: hefulu tala
$50: lima hefulu tala
$100: helau tala
All $10 Tokelau coins are gold proofs; most others are silver proofs.
