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10 Pa'anga - Taufa'ahau Tupou IV Rolls Royces Silver Ghost and Camargue, 0.917 Gold issue
| Issuer | Tonga |
|---|---|
| Year | 1985 |
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| Currency | Pa`anga (1967-date) |
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| Obverse description | Right-facing effigy of King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV, depicted as a bare-headed bust with a plain collar, rendered in high relief against a flat field. The portrait is set within an incuse circle, with the surrounding legend reading TAUFA'AHAU TUPOU IV · TONGA arranged along the upper periphery. The date 1985, flanked by two raised dots, appears at the lower border beneath the portrait. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The central field features two Rolls-Royce motorcars depicted in relief: a vintage Silver Ghost (circa 1907) shown in three-quarter view in the upper portion of the field, and a modern Camargue saloon shown prominently in three-quarter view in the lower foreground, commemorating the centenary of the motor car. The upper legend CENTENARY OF THE MOTOR CAR arcs along the periphery, flanked by the dates 1885 and 1985. The denomination 10 PA'ANGA appears at the base, all surrounded by a finely reeded border. |
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| Additional information |
Taufa'ahau Tupou IV was notorious among numismatists and foreign observers alike for Tonga's relentless coin program throughout the 1970s and 1980s — a revenue-generating machine aimed squarely at collectors rather than circulation. This particular issue commemorates the king's personal passion for Rolls-Royce motorcars, a fondness that was entirely genuine: he owned both a Silver Ghost and a Camargue, and the Tongan government saw no reason not to monetize it.
The Camargue, introduced by Rolls-Royce in 1975, was one of the most expensive cars in the world at the time of its launch. Tupou IV's collector coin program was administered largely through the Franklin Mint under licensing arrangements common to Pacific island states during this period.