20160603

HAWAI'I/Kalakaua I 1874-1891

AR 25 c (6.21 g) KM #5 (mintage: 500,000 but 242,600 remain after redemption and melting) 

O: KALAKAUA I KING OF HAWAII/1883, hd r.

R: UA MAU KE EA O KA AINA I KA PONO/1/4/ D./HAPAHA, crown above COA dividing ¼ and D.

Note: (from Wikipedia) "Ua Mau ke Ea o ka ʻĀina i ka Pono is a well-known Hawaiian phrase which was adopted as the motto of the state of Hawaii. It is commonly translated as "The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness".


The motto is also utilized by the Hawaiian sovereignty movement having been the motto of the Kingdom of Hawaii before it's overthrow by American business interests in 1893. The motto appears to be the one constant connecting Hawaii past and present.

Iolani Palace, Honolulu constructed during the reign of Kalakaua and the only royal palace on US soil