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5 Pounds
| Issuer | Treasury of Western Samoa |
|---|---|
| Year | 1956-1959 |
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| Printer | Bradbury Wilkinson and Company, United Kingdom (1856-1990) |
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|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | TERRITORY OF WESTERN SAMOA LEGAL TENDER IN WESTERN SAMOA BY THE AUTHORITY OF THE NEW ZEALAND GOVERNMENT FIVE POUNDS STERLING TREASURY NOTE |
| Reverse description | Bicolour design in teal and red, with an elaborate guilloche underprint covering the entire field. A central rectangular panel carries the text 'TERRITORY OF WESTERN SAMOA' and 'TREASURY NOTE' in bold red lettering. Ornate floral rosette medallions bearing the denomination '5 POUNDS' appear above and below the central panel, with the denomination '£5' repeated in each corner against the teal guilloche background. |
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| Comments |
Western Samoa was still a New Zealand-administered United Nations Trust Territory when this note was issued — formal independence didn't come until 1962. The Treasury, rather than a central bank, served as the issuing authority throughout this period, a function it retained until the Bank of Western Samoa was established post-independence.
Bradbury Wilkinson's involvement was typical for Pacific territories with British administrative ties, even when, as here, New Zealand held the mandate. The £5 denomination would have seen limited everyday use in an economy where most transactions ran well below that threshold.