50 Vatu

Vanuatu's coinage is managed by the Reserve Bank, established at independence in 1980 when the New Hebrides condominium — jointly administered by Britain and France in one of colonial history's more awkward arrangements — dissolved into the new nation. The vatu replaced the New Hebrides franc with no subdivision, an intentional simplification.

Nickel plated steel replaced the earlier nickel-brass composition for this denomination during this series, a cost-driven decision common across Pacific island issuers contending with small population bases and limited mint volume leverage.