Catalog
50 Pa'anga
| Issuer | National Reserve Bank of Tonga |
|---|---|
| Year | 2009 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Printed in shades of green, the reverse centres on a vignette of the Royal Palace in Nuku'alofa, rendered with fine intaglio line work against a radiant multicolour guilloche background. A large underprint numeral '50' appears at left, with a decorative cross and starburst motif at upper right. Ornamental guilloche borders frame the left and right margins. |
| Reverse lettering | NATIONAL RESERVE BANK OF TONGA THIS NOTE IS LEGAL TENDER IN TONGA PA`ANGA `E NIMANGOFULU |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | Log in to see details |
| Variants | Log in to see details |
| Comments |
Thomas De La Rue has printed Tongan currency for decades, and this 2009 issue continues a long contractual relationship that has made De La Rue the de facto house printer for Pacific island states too small to operate their own security press facilities. The 50 Pa'anga sits at the top of the circulating series for that period — a denomination heavy enough that most everyday transactions never saw one.
Security on this note is relatively modest by 2009 standards: watermark and thread, with no optically variable ink or color-shifting features. De La Rue was capable of more, but smaller-volume Pacific orders rarely justified the tooling costs for advanced substrates.