The coinage of Vanuatu

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Map of Oceania, also known as the Pacific Islands.

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Map of Vanuatu.

Vanuatu, officially the Republic of Vanuatu, is a Pacific island nation located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago is of volcanic origin. The country has a population of around 270,000. The national language of the Republic of Vanuatu is Bislama. The official languages are Bislama, French and English. Bislama is a pidgin language, and now a creole in urban areas. Essentially combining a typically Melanesian grammar with a mostly English vocabulary, Bislama is the only language that can be understood and spoken by the majority of the population, as a second language. In addition, 113 indigenous languages are still actively spoken in Vanuatu.

Vanuatu was first inhabited by Melanesian people. The first Europeans to visit the islands were a Spanish expedition led by Portuguese navigator Fernandes de Queirós, who arrived on the largest island in 1606. Since the Portuguese and Spanish monarchies had been unified under the king of Spain in 1580 (following the vacancy of the Portuguese throne, which lasted for sixty years, until 1640, when the Portuguese monarchy was restored), Queirós claimed the archipelago for Spain, as part of the colonial Spanish East Indies, and named it La Austrialia del Espíritu Santo.

In the 1880s, France and the United Kingdom claimed parts of the archipelago, and in 1906, they agreed on a framework for jointly managing the archipelago as the New Hebrides through an Anglo–French condominium. An independence movement arose in the 1970s, and the Republic of Vanuatu was founded on July 30, 1980.

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Flag of Vanuatu.

From Wikipedia:

The green of the flag of Vanuatu represents the richness of the islands, the red symbolises the blood of wild boars and men, and the black the ni-Vanuatu people. The yellow Y-shape represents the light of the gospel going through the pattern of the islands in the Pacific Ocean (approximately 83% of the people of Vanuatu profess Christianity).

The emblem in the black is a boar's tusk — the symbol of prosperity worn as a pendant on the islands — along with two leaves of the local namele Cycad. The leaves are supposed to be a token of peace, and their 39 leaflets represent the 39 members [sic] of the Parliament of Vanuatu.

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National emblem of Vanuatu.

The national emblem of Vanuatu features a Melanesian warrior.

He is holding a spear and standing before a mountain.

In the background a boar's tusk encircles two crossed fern fronds.


The golden scroll at the bottom features the national motto.

It reads: LONG GOD YUMI STANAP.

In the Bislaman language, that means IN GOD WE STAND.

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INTRODUCTION OF THE VATU

The vatu is the official currency of Vanuatu.

It was introduced in 1981, one year after independence.


The vatu replaced the New Hebrides franc at par.

One vatu was equal in value to one New Hebrides franc.


The vatu has no subdivisions.

The name "vatu" means "stone" in the indigenous languages.

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Obverse of the 50 vatu coin of 1981.

Vanuatu issued its first post-colonial coin in 1981.

It was a circulating commemorative 50 francs coin.


The coin commemorated the first anniversary of independence.

It was produced by the Royal Mint (UK).


The obverse design was modelled by Robert Elderton.

It featured the national emblem.

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Reverse of the 50 vatu coin of 1981.

The reverse design featured men harvesting taro.

It was designed and modelled by Robert Elderton.


The coin was made of copper-nickel.

It weighed 15 grams and was 33 mm in diameter.

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Vanuatu, 10 000 vatu, 1981.   Gold collector coin.

Vanuta also issued a gold commemorative collector coin in 1981.

Like the 50 vatu, it commemorated the country's independence.


The reverse of the coin showed a coconut crab (Birgus latro).

Robert Elderton also produced this reverse design.

See also:  Vanuatu: Independence Anniversary 1981.

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INTRODUCTION OF THE REGULAR COINAGE

In 1983 Vanuatu issued its first set of standard circulation coins.

They were in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 vatu.


Each coin had the same specifications as its former counterpart in francs.

The 1 vatu coin was of the same shape, size, weight and metal as the 1 franc.

And so on, through all the other denominations.

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Common obverse of the nickel-brass coins.

The national emblem appeared on the obverse of all the coins.

Here you see how it looked on the nickel-brass coins.

The 1, 2 and 5 vatu coins were made of nickel-brass.

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Reverse of the 1 vatu coin.

The 1 vatu coin was made of nickel-brass.

It weighed 2 grams and was 17 mm in diameter.


The reverse design featured a conch shell.

The Vanuatans use it as a method of communication.

All the reverse designs were by Anthony William Airs.

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Reverse of the 2 vatu coin.

The 2 vatu coin was made of nickel-brass.

It weighed 3 grams and was 20 mm in diameter.


Its reverse design also featured a conch shell.

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Reverse of the 5 vatu coin.

The 5 vatu coin was made of nickel-brass.

It weighed 4 grams and was 23.5 mm in diameter.


Its reverse design also featured a conch shell.

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Common obverse of the copper-nickel coins.

The national emblem appeared on the obverse of all the coins.

Here you see how it looked on the copper-nickel coins.

The 10, 20 and 50 vatu coins were made of copper-nickel.

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Reverse of the 10 vatu coin.

The 10 vatu coin was made of copper-nickel.

It weighed 6 grams and was 24 mm in diameter.


The reverse featured a coconut crab and palm trees on a beach.