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50 Tala - Tanumafili II Dolphins
| Issuer | Central Bank of Samoa |
|---|---|
| Year | 1995 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Milled |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | A leaping dolphin is depicted in high relief at center, shown in dynamic profile as it breaches above a stylized ocean surface rendered with horizontal lines. Below the dolphin, outline maps of the Samoan islands are visible on the water surface. The legend ENDANGERED WILDLIFE arcs along the left periphery, and the date 1995 appears in the lower exergue. |
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| Additional information |
Tanumafili II held the position of O le Ao o le Malo — Head of State of Samoa — from independence in 1962 until his death in 2007, making him one of the longest-serving heads of state in the Pacific. The 1995 gold issue belongs to a period when the Central Bank of Samoa was aggressively entering the collector coin market, producing a string of commemorative gold and silver pieces aimed squarely at the international numismatic trade rather than domestic circulation. Most never crossed a counter in Apia.
The .5833 fineness — 14-karat — is the telling detail. It was chosen to reduce minting costs while maintaining a gold designation, a common calculation among smaller Pacific issuers working with limited production budgets in the 1990s.