1974 Fiji 100 Dollars Gold Proof, King Cakobau, Elizabeth II

A beauty!

Time for some trivia.

You may be wondering why in 1874 the King of Fiji would voluntarily surrender the independence of his country to the British. Well, you can blame the Americans. Cakobau was Fiji's first and last king. After going to the trouble to unite the disparate warring tribes across most of the archipelago, he was quickly recognised as rightful ruler of Fiji by both the British and Americans. However, with recognition came responsibility: when some renegade tribes from an island not under Cakobau's direct control ransacked the residence of the American Consul, the Americans held Cakobau's government responsible and demanded $44,000 in compensation. The fledgeling Fijian government didn't have $44,000, so effectively sold themselves to Britain to relieve the debt. They reasoned that it was better to become a British colony voluntarily than to be invaded and annexed by angry Americans.

You may also be wondering why this act of anti-independence would actually be celebrated enough by newly re-independent Fiji to commemorate with an expensive gold coin. It may have something to do with the fact that a significant minority of the politicians of Fiji in the 1970s, including the Governor-General and the Prime Minister at the time, were descendants of Cakobau - they were honouring their most illustrious ancestor.