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5 Tala - Tanumafili II Tempora Mutantur
| Issuer | Central Bank of Samoa |
|---|---|
| Year | 1997 |
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| Currency | Tala (1967-date) |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | The reverse depicts a standing male figure rendered in a dynamic, upward-reaching pose, raising a flaming torch aloft with his right arm against a horizontally lined background suggestive of rays or ocean waves. The figure, dressed in traditional Samoan attire, symbolises progress and the transition into a new millennium. The legend 'TEMPORA MUTANTUR' (Times are changing) curves along the left and upper border of the irregular crescent-shaped flan, whose jagged right edge is designed to interlock with the complementary half of the two-piece set. |
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| Additional information |
Issued the same year Samoa officially dropped "Western" from its name — a change pushed through by Tanumafili II after decades of insisting the qualifier diminished the nation's identity. The square format, uncommon in Pacific coinage, was a deliberate choice to distinguish the commemorative program from circulation issues.
"Tempora Mutantur" — times change — proved an apt phrase for a head of state who would go on to become the first Bahá'í to lead a sovereign nation.