Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
1 Pound Sterling
| Issuer | Government of Tonga |
|---|---|
| Year | 1921 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | 180 × 95 mm |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | ONE POUND / GOVERNMENT OF TONGA TREASURY NOTE / The Government of Tonga Promises to Pay the Bearer / ONE POUND STERLING / On Demand at the Treasury / NUKUALOFA / 1st January 1921 / £1 / Thomas De La Rue & Co. London / COMMISSIONERS OF CURRENCY |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | £1 ONE / ONE £1 |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | Log in to see details |
| Variants | Log in to see details |
| Comments |
Tonga was one of the few Pacific kingdoms to retain full independence throughout the colonial period, and its Currency Commission — rather than a colonial treasury or trading bank — issued notes directly, an unusual arrangement that gave the royal government genuine control over its own paper money supply. De La Rue had printed for Pacific territories before, but Tongan issues of this period are genuinely scarce; the islands' small population and limited commercial economy meant print runs were small and survival rates low.
Three commissioner signatures were required for validity. The presence of Tuilovakano alongside the European administrators reflects the Commission's hybrid character.