Catalog
10 Pa'anga
| Issuer | National Reserve Bank of Tonga |
|---|---|
| Year | 2023 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Pa`anga (1967-date) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Predominantly blue on a multicolour underprint. The central vignette illustrates Princess Angelika Latufuipeka Tuku'aho participating in the traditional Kava ceremony known as Milolua, rendered in fine detail. Bilingual English and Tongan inscriptions accompany the design, with a simulated security thread integrated into the composition. |
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| Protection type | Polymer substrate, Simulated security thread |
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| Comments |
Tonga's switch to polymer for this denomination follows a broader Pacific trend — the Reserve Bank made the transition partly in response to the islands' humid climate, which degrades cotton-fibre notes unusually fast given low circulation velocity in outer island communities. De La Rue's polymer substrate here carries a simulated security thread, a visual mimicry of the metallic windowed threads used on higher-security issues rather than an actual embedded feature — a cost-driven compromise that collectors and counterfeiters alike have noted.
TBB#227 is recent enough that secondary market data remains thin.