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5 Dollars
| Issuer | Government of Fiji (Treasury) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1872-1873 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | 1873 |
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| Obverse description | Printed in purple on white paper, the note bears the central heading TREASURY NOTE above the Fijian coat of arms vignette, with LEVUKA inscribed below. The denomination numeral 5 appears in guilloche-framed cartouches at upper left and right, while the text The Bearer of this is entitled to receive from the Treasury Levuka FIVE DOLLARS. is rendered in copperplate script across the central panel. A wavy-line security underprint reading TREASURY spans the lower portion, and the legend N.B. THIS NOTE IS A LEGAL TENDER AND PAYABLE AT THE TREASURY runs along the top margin; the printer's imprint of S. T. Leigh & Co. Sydney appears at the bottom. |
|---|---|
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| Signature(s) | Smith Clarkson Woods |
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| Comments |
Fiji's first government paper money emerged from a chaotic experiment in colonial self-governance. The Kingdom of Fiji — still independent under Cakobau's nominal rule, but practically run by a settler government — issued these notes to address a severe coin shortage among the plantation economy. The treasury was perpetually insolvent, and acceptance was never universal; many traders in Levuka simply refused them.
S. T. Leigh & Co. were primarily commercial printers in Sydney, better known for stationery and books than security printing. The requirement for three separate signatories — Smith, Clarkson, and Woods — reflects how little faith the issuing authority had in any single official's accountability.
Fiji was ceded to Britain in 1874, rendering these notes obsolete within months of their last issue date.