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1 Pa'anga - Taufa'ahau Tupou IV Countermarked - INVESTITURE
| Issuer | Government of Tonga |
|---|---|
| Year | 1968 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Pa`anga (1967-date) |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | TAUFA`AHAU TUPOU IV INVESTITURE 1971 1968 INVESTITURE 1971 |
| Reverse description | The reverse displays the Royal Arms of Tonga in bold relief at the center of the field, comprising a quartered shield bearing three stars and a crown in the upper quarters and a dove and crossed swords in the lower quarters. Two national flags on staffs flank the shield to either side, and a royal crown surmounts the entire achievement within a wreath. A scrolled ribbon below the shield bears the national motto MO TONGA KO HOKU, flanked by the inscriptions KO E OTU and TOFIA on subsidiary scrolls. The denomination PA'ANGA arcs along the upper border and the country name TONGA is inscribed in large letters at the base, all within a beaded border. |
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| Additional information |
Tonga's 1968 investiture celebrated the formal installation of Taufa'ahau Tupou IV as king following his mother Queen Salote's death in 1965 — a three-year gap explained by the extended mourning protocols observed by the Tongan royal court. Rather than striking an entirely new commemorative coin, the government chose to apply a countermark to existing circulation Pa'anga stock, a practical decision that kept production costs minimal for a Pacific island treasury of limited means.
Countermarked issues are inherently variable in strike quality and placement, and KM#36 pieces show considerable inconsistency in mark depth from coin to coin.