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100 Tala - Tanumafili II Captain James Cook
| Issuer | Samoa |
|---|---|
| Year | 1979 |
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| Currency | Tala (1967-date) |
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| Obverse description | The national arms of Samoa are displayed centrally, featuring a quartered shield with stars and a cross surmounted by a coconut palm, supported by olive branches on either side. A banner beneath the shield bears the national motto. The legend SAMOA I SISIFO arcs across the upper field, while the denomination $100 appears in the lower field. |
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| Reverse lettering | BICENTENARY·CAPTAIN JAMES COOK·1779 1728-79 H.M.S. RESOLUTION 1979 JB |
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| Additional information |
Issued to mark the bicentennial of Cook's death at Kealakekua Bay in February 1779, where he was killed during a skirmish with Native Hawaiians after attempting to take a chief hostage over a stolen cutter. Samoa's place in the commemorative is geographic logic — Cook passed through the archipelago, which he called the Navigator Islands, during his second voyage in 1773.
The .917 fineness matches the historic British gold sovereign standard, a deliberate choice common among Pacific Commonwealth issuers of the period seeking numismatic credibility in export markets.