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4 Shillings
| Issuer | Government of Tonga |
|---|---|
| Year | 1935-1965 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 4 Shillings (1/5) |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Brown on pale underprint. The Tongan Coat of Arms appears at centre, flanked by palm tree vignettes at left and right. Text carries the treasury note legal tender clause with date; note bears a printed overprint of several lines or a solid block obscuring the word STERLING at right, distinguishing this issue from the earlier P#1 type. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | 4/s FOUR FOUR 4/s |
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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.