Visit us and see our collection of early U.S. Capped Bust Liberty coins!
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The Pacific's 22 countries and territories are strung out across 29 million square kilometers of ocean. They contain some of the most diverse ecosystems on Earth, and are inhabited by cultures that have lived in an often difficult and fragile environment for millennia - longer than Germanic or Slavic peoples have lived in Europe, or Anglo-Saxons in Britain. But now, at the dawn of the 21st century, many of these nations are struggling with the possible abbreviation of their histories and the loss of their homelands due to the effects of sea level rise. Kiribati has moved forward with contingency plans for evacuation while the Solomon Islands has announced the salination of their freshwater resources and the ocean's breaching of one of their islands into two. These Polynesian nations that have lived on the edge of the world appear poised to vanish.  For those of us familiar with their contributions to world numismatics over the course of the last century we can state that any loss to these peoples is lamentable. We can also note that it has often been through their out-sized proportion of issuances of noncirculating legal tender that so many of these nations' economies have been supplemented. We bring these to you now for both your curiosity and as a tribute to all those who live amidst the tides.
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