5 Tālā

The 1985 series marked the first substantive redesign of Samoan paper currency following independence-era consolidation under the Central Bank, which had only been formally established in 1984. Thomas De La Rue handled the print run, as they did for the majority of Pacific island nations during this period — a near-monopoly built on competitive pricing and the logistical difficulty smaller states faced in sourcing reliable security printing elsewhere.

Watermark-only security was already considered minimal by 1985 standards, with most comparable issues incorporating security threads. Its absence here likely reflects cost rather than oversight.