Catalog
5000 Vatu
| Issuer | Reserve Bank of Vanuatu |
|---|---|
| Year | 1989-2006 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| 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) | P#15 |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | RESERVE BANK OF VANUATU FIVE THOUSAND VATU 5000 VT CINQ MILLE VATU BANQUE DE RESERVE DE VANUATU (Translation: Reserve Bank of Vanuatu, Five Thousand Vatu) |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | 5000 VATU RESERVE BANK BLONG VANUATU (Translation: Reserve Bank of Vanuatu) |
| 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 printed the entire first substantive series for Vanuatu after the country's 1980 independence from its unusual Anglo-French Condominium arrangement — a joint colonial administration that had maintained two parallel currencies, two court systems, and two police forces simultaneously. The vatu replaced both the New Hebrides franc and the Australian dollar in use by different parts of the population.
P#15 ran across nearly two decades of consecutive dating with minimal design revision, which is characteristic of De La Rue contracts with smaller Pacific island central banks during this period. The watermark remains the sole security provision — modest even by the standards of its first issue year.