20 Dollars

The 1986 series marked the point at which the Solomon Islands dollar, introduced at independence in 1977, had stabilized enough to justify a redesigned note family. Thomas De La Rue's involvement was essentially continuous from the inception of the currency — the CBSI had no domestic printing capacity and relied entirely on London for production throughout this period.

Watermarking was the sole mechanical security feature on P#16, a relatively modest specification even by mid-1980s Pacific island standards. Counterfeiting pressure in the Solomons was negligible, which likely kept the security brief simple.