Catalog
4 Shillings
| Issuer | Government of Tonga |
|---|---|
| Year | 1935-1965 |
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| Size | 180 × 95 mm |
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|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | FOUR SHILLINGS GOVERNMENT OF TONGA TREASURY NOTE THESE NOTES ARE LEGAL TENDER FOUR SHILLINGS FOR THE PAYMENT OF ANY AMOUNT 19th May, 1939. FOUR |
| Reverse description | Brown. The reverse is dominated by an elaborate central guilloche medallion composed of interlocking floral and geometric rosette patterns, radiating outward in a symmetrical arrangement. The denomination appears in all four corners, rendered alternately as "4/s" in the upper-left and lower-right, and "FOUR" in the upper-right and lower-left. |
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| Comments |
The Tongan pa'anga system was not yet in place when this note circulated — Tonga retained British-style pounds, shillings, and pence until decimalisation in 1967, which makes a 4 Shilling denomination a direct reflection of local commercial custom rather than any standard British template. The denomination has no parallel in sterling practice; it emerged from Tonga's own pricing habits.
De La Rue printed this series across a thirty-year window without significant design revision, an unusually long plate life even by colonial issuing standards.