Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻO Tonga
(Kingdom of Tonga)
Pangike Pule Fakafanua 'O Tonga
(National Reserve Bank of Tonga, Est.1989)
Currency - Pa'anga (TOP)
Posted below are the three notes of 1, 2 and 5 pa'anga belonging to the series nd1995. It is not sure when these three notes were issued, but most likely is between 1996 and 2000 given that the tenures for the Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance both ended in 2000. This series was first introduced in 1995 and these three notes are the first reprints for the series. Only three notes were issued with these signature combinations. The first series consists of five notes of 1, 2, 5, 10 and 20 pa'anga.
Whilst Tonga had a rather small population back in the mid 90s (around 100,000), the quantity printed for this series was relatively small too. Based on my observation, around one million pieces were printed for both the one and two pa'anga denominations (prefixes C/2 to C/3), and perhaps only 500,000 pieces printed for the five pa'anga denomination (prefix C/1 500001 to 1000000). These notes were printed by Thomas De La Rue and Company Limited (now De La Rue).
I bought these 3 notes from a local dealer here and they were sold separately and not as a set. Despite these notes being over 20 years old, they are still relatively cheap, even though the quantity printed was not that many. Perhaps, the only reason is that Tonga banknotes are not in demand or they are pretty easy to find, even in uncirculated condition.
One Pa'anga
Signatures
Prime Minister - Baron Vaea von Houma (tenure 1991-2000)
Minister of Finance - Tutoatasi Kinikinlau Fakafanua (1991-2000)
Watermark - Bust of King Taufa'ahau Topou IV facing rightDimensions - 151.5mm x 71mm
Front - Portrait of King Taufa'ahau Topou IV (b.1918-2006). King Taufa'ahau Topou IV (born Siaosi Taufa'ahau Tupoulahi) was crowned King of Tonga in 1965, following the death of his mother, Queen Salote Tupoulll (born Salote Mafile'o Pilolevu), who ruled Tonga for 48 years from 1918 to 1965.
Back - View of a coastal town. It is not sure if this is actually related to an actual town or location or simply just an artist's impression.
Two Pa'anga
Signatures
Prime Minister - Baron Vaea von Houma (tenure 1991-2000)
Minister of Finance - Tutoatasi Kinikinlau Fakafanua (1991-2000)
Watermark - Bust of King Taufa'ahau Topou IV facing rightDimensions - 151.5mm x 71mm
Back - Four women making tapa cloth, with a native hut in the background. The two women on the left are putting designs to the tapa cloth whilst the two on the right are beating the tapa.
Five Pa'anga
Signatures
Prime Minister - Baron Vaea von Houma (tenure 1991-2000)
Minister of Finance - Tutoatasi Kinikinlau Fakafanua (1991-2000)
Watermark - Bust of King Taufa'ahau Topou IV facing rightDimensions - 151mm x 71mm
Back - Ha'amonga stone gateway or Ha'amonga 'a Maui is a stone structure with two vertical large stones supporting a third stone on the top. This Ha'amonga 'a Maui is situated on the island of Tongatapu. Standing next to the structure is a man/woman. This gives you some ideas how big this structure is. It is believed that this structure was built by King Tu'itatui in the 13th century in honour of his sons.