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2 Pa'anga - Taufa'ahua
| Issuer | National Reserve Bank of Tonga |
|---|---|
| Year | 1995 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | 150 × 70 mm |
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| Obverse description | Intaglio portrait of King Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV (1918–2006) in military dress uniform with decorations, set within a circular vignette at centre-right, framed by foliate ornaments against a red guilloche underprint. The Royal Arms of Tonga appear at upper right, while a large circular watermark void occupies the left field. Two signatures appear below the portrait, identified respectively as PALEMIA O TONGA (Prime Minister) and MINISITA PA AGA (Minister of Finance), with the issuing bank name across the lower centre. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | A detailed intaglio vignette occupies the left and central field, portraying women engaged in traditional tapa cloth making, seated on the ground outside a thatched-roof fale amid palm trees and tropical vegetation. The denomination numeral '2' is printed in large format at lower right alongside decorative geometric motifs echoing traditional Tongan tapa patterns, with the printer's imprint 'THOMAS DE LA RUE AND COMPANY LIMITED' at lower right. |
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| Comments |
The National Reserve Bank of Tonga was established only in 1989, replacing the Bank of Tonga and assuming full central bank responsibilities. This note entered circulation during a period when Tonga was navigating significant pressure to liberalize its heavily managed economy, with the pa'anga pegged to a trade-weighted basket of currencies rather than any single anchor — an arrangement that persisted despite chronic current account deficits throughout the 1990s.
Four signature combinations are documented across the P#32 series, reflecting genuine turnover in senior positions rather than a single reprint cycle. S. 'Utoikamanu later became Tonga's first female Foreign Minister.