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5 Pounds Sterling
| Issuer | Government of Tonga |
|---|---|
| Year | 1921 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Paper |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Printed in dark blue-black, the reverse is dominated by an elaborate symmetrical guilloche pattern composed of interlocking hexagonal and lobed medallions filled with fine lathe-work rosettes and engine-turned micropatterns. The denomination appears in all four corners as '£5' at upper-left and lower-right, and 'FIVE' at upper-right and lower-left. |
| Reverse lettering | £5 FIVE |
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| Comments |
Tonga issued its own pound-denominated notes from 1921 under direct government authority rather than through a chartered bank — an arrangement unusual for a Pacific territory of this size and one that reflected the kingdom's formal status as a British protectorate, not a colony. The Colonial Bank of Australasia and later the Bank of New Zealand operated on the islands, but neither held the note-issuing privilege.
De La Rue's involvement guaranteed technical quality, but surviving examples of P#4 are genuinely rare. The 1921 series had very limited print runs, and Tonga's small, cash-dependent economy meant notes at the five-pound level circulated hard when they did move.