Catalog
25 Cents
| Issuer | Government of King Cakobau (Cakobau Rex) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1872-1873 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | Plain paper note printed in brown-red ink, enclosed within a chain-link border. The royal cipher "C.R." (Cakobau Rex) is centered at the top, with the denomination "25 Cents." repeated twice across the midfield in large letterpress type. Below the denomination appears the Fijian-language legend "DUA NA SILINI NI VAKACAVACAVA" and a further Fijian inscription, with two manuscript signature lines at the bottom left and right flanking the handwritten issue date and place. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse is plain unprinted paper, showing only the texture and aging of the note's paper stock, with no design, lettering, or ornamentation. |
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| Comments |
Cakobau's government was a short-lived colonial hybrid — a Fijian chieftain ruling under a constitutional monarchy framework, issuing currency before annexation by Britain in 1874 rendered the whole apparatus obsolete. These fractional notes were a practical response to a chronic shortage of small change in the islands, where Spanish and American silver coins circulated alongside whatever could be pressed into service.
P#9 is among the rarest of the Cakobau Rex issues. The government collapsed within two years of this series, and redemption was neither systematic nor complete. Most survivors are in institutional collections.