Catalog
10 Shillings
| Issuer | Government of Tonga |
|---|---|
| Year | 1935-1939 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | Printed in green, the obverse centres on the Tongan Coat of Arms flanked by palm tree vignettes at left and right, with denomination and legal tender text arranged around the central device. The design follows the same layout as P#2 but carries an overprint obscuring the word STERLING at the right. A printed date of 21st April, 1937 appears within the text. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Printed in green on an uncoloured ground, the reverse is covered by an elaborate symmetrical guilloche pattern of interlocking lobed and rosette forms radiating from a central medallion, with foliate guilloche panels at the left and right extremities. Denomination numerals "10/s" appear in the upper-left and lower-right corners, with the word TEN placed in the upper-right and lower-left corners. |
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| Comments |
Tonga's first paper currency series was authorized under King Taufa'ahau Tupou II and his successor Salote Tupou III, who reigned from 1918 and oversaw the kingdom's formal entry into paper-based public finance. The Government of Tonga — not a bank — issued directly, which was unusual but reflected the kingdom's small scale and the absence of any chartered domestic institution capable of assuming that role.
De La Rue printed the full series, as they did for much of Britain's Pacific dependencies during the interwar period. Tonga's political independence from Britain, maintained through a Treaty of Friendship rather than colonial annexation, meant these notes were technically sovereign issues, not colonial currency board instruments.
The 10 Shillings denomination, P#6, is the scarcest of the pre-war Tongan issues in circulated grades.