Catalog
2 Tālā
| Issuer | Monetary Board of Western Samoa |
|---|---|
| Year | 1980 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | 140 × 72 mm |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | KOMITI FAATINO O TUPE A SAMOA I SISIFO TUPE FA`ATAGAINA-MALO O SAMOA I SISIFO LEGAL TENDER IN WESTERN SAMOA LUA TĀLĀ TWO TĀLĀ MONETARY BOARD OF WESTERN SAMOA (Translation: Western Samoa Finance Executive Committee, Two Tālā) |
| Reverse description | Central vignette of a traditional thatched Samoan fale set among tall palm trees on a coastal shore, with a distant island visible across the water. To the right, the national flag of Western Samoa on a flagpole is rendered in colour, alongside the Western Samoan coat of arms at lower centre, encircled by a wreath and bearing the motto FA AVE I LE ATUA SAMOA. Denomination roundels marked $2 appear at upper left and upper right within fine guilloche lacework, with the note's geometric border pattern in multicolour. |
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| Comments |
Western Samoa's adoption of the tālā in 1967 replaced the pound at a rate of two tālā to one pound, but the first generation of notes under the Monetary Board were plain affairs, heavily reliant on De La Rue's standard colonial-era house style. By the 1980 issue, the board had enough institutional confidence to commission a cleaner, more regionally distinct series — though De La Rue retained the contract, as they had for virtually every Pacific island issuer of the period.
The watermark security is the sole anti-counterfeiting measure, which was already considered minimal by 1980 standards. Western Samoa's tiny circulation economy made sophisticated security a low priority.