2 Tālā

The 1985 series marked the Central Bank of Samoa's first decade of independent currency management, having replaced the Bank of Western Samoa in 1984. De La Rue's involvement here is routine — they printed the entire series — but the 2 Tālā was the lowest circulating denomination at a moment when Samoa's economy was heavily dependent on remittances from diaspora communities in New Zealand and Australia, which created unusual wear patterns: notes frequently traveled internationally and returned.

The watermark is the sole mechanical security feature on this issue, modest even by the standards of small Pacific issuers at the time.