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50 Sene - Tanumafili II
| Issuer | Central Bank of Samoa |
|---|---|
| Year | 1974-2000 |
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| Engraver(s) | Obverse: Thomas Humphrey Paget Reverse: George James Berry |
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| Obverse description | Left-facing unadorned bust of Malietoa Tanumafili II, Head of State of Western Samoa, modelled in high relief by engraver Thomas Humphrey Paget, whose initials 'HP' appear below the truncation. The encircling legend reads 'MALIETOA TANUMAFILI II SAMOA SISIFO' around the upper periphery, with the date flanked by two five-pointed stars at the base of the coin. The portrait is rendered in a restrained, classical style with fine detail in the hair and facial features. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
Tanumafili II held the position of O le Ao o le Malo — head of state of Western Samoa — from independence in 1962 until his death in 2007, making him one of the longest-serving heads of state in the Pacific. The 1974 coinage series he appears on marked a decisive break from the earlier tala issues struck under the Bank of Western Samoa, coinciding with the establishment of the Central Bank. He later became a Bahá'í, the first head of state to formally adopt that faith — a fact entirely invisible in the numismatic record but inseparable from his later decades in office.