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50 Cents
| Issuer | Government of King Cakobau (Cakobau Rex) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1872-1873 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | Plain paper note with a simple chain-link rectangular border in green. The royal cipher "C.R." (Cakobau Rex) appears centered at the top, flanked by handwritten serial numbers at upper left and right reading "No." followed by the number. Below, the place and date of issue "Levuka" with a manuscript date is inscribed, followed by the denomination "50 CENTS." repeated twice in large letterpress text across the center. Three lines of Fijian-language text appear in the lower central field, reading "AFA TOLA NI VAKACAVACAVA" and "AI VOLA OGO SOSOMI NI LAVO VAKACAVACAVA / VAKA VITI", with two manuscript signatures below attributed to the issuing and countersigning authorities. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse is entirely plain, unprinted paper showing significant aging, fold lines, and surface wear consistent with circulation, with no text, vignettes, or ornamental elements of any kind. |
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| Comments |
Cakobau's government issued this note during a brief, turbulent experiment in Fijian statehood. Ratu Seru Epenisa Cakobau had unified much of Fiji under a constitutional monarchy in 1871, but the administration was chronically insolvent — these fractional notes were a direct symptom of a treasury that could not meet its obligations in coin. The government collapsed in 1874 when Cakobau ceded Fiji to Britain, and the new colonial administration had no obligation to honor the old currency.
Surviving examples are rare. The window between issue and political dissolution was under three years.