Catalog
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| Issuer | Reserve Bank of Fiji |
|---|---|
| Year | 2022 |
| 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 | 156 × 76 mm |
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| Printer | Log in to see details |
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| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | The obverse is dominated by a large intaglio-printed red hibiscus flower vignette at right, with a smaller hibiscus watermark device at centre bearing the numeral 88 below; the Fijian coat of arms appears at upper right. The country name FIJI is set in ornate lettering across a tapa-pattern guilloche band at top, while the denomination 88 CENTS appears in large numerals at lower right alongside the Governor's signature at lower centre-left. A scrolling micro-text underprint pattern fills the left field. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | 88 Fiji This Numismatic Note is Legal Tender in Fiji for EIGHTY EIGHT CENTS 88 Cents |
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| Comments |
The denomination itself is the story. Eighty-eight cents has no practical monetary utility — it is a deliberate cultural construction, issued specifically for the Fijian Chinese community, where eight is considered the luckiest number in Chinese numerology. The 2022 release falls within the Lunar New Year gifting tradition, where notes are exchanged in red envelopes (hongbao), and a double-eight denomination carries obvious appeal for that purpose.
De La Rue's involvement is unremarkable for Fiji, which has used the printer for decades. What is unusual is that the Reserve Bank issued a denomination that could never function in ordinary commerce — fractional cents have been out of circulation in Fiji since 2014.