The coinage of Vanuatu

[<k>]

Reverse of the 20 vatu coin.

The 20 vatu coin was made of copper-nickel.

It weighed 10 grams and was 28.5 mm in diameter.


The reverse featured the same scene as on the 10 vatu coin.

[<k>]

Reverse of the 50 vatu coin.

The 50 vatu coin was made of copper-nickel.

It weighed 15 grams and was 33 mm in diameter.


The reverse design featured yam tubers.

They were encircled by stylised stems of the plant.

[<k>]

Obverse of the 100 vatu coin.

In 1988 Vanuatu issued a nickel-brass 100 vatu coin.

It replaced the 100 vatu note.


The coin was made of nickel-brass.

It weighed 9.5 grams and was 24 mm in diameter.

This coin had a thickness of 2.95 mm.

[<k>]

Reverse of the 100 vatu coin.

The reverse design featured three coconuts.

The design was once more the work of Robert Elderton.

The coin was minted by the Royal Mint (UK).

[<k>]

ANALYSIS OF VANUATU'S FIRST COINAGE SERIES

In 1983 Vanuatu's first coin series had inherited most of its characteristics from the previous New Hebridean franc series. The denomination structure was the same. The size, shape, weight and metal content of the coins was the same. And one vatu was equal to one old franc.

This undoubtedly helped the transition from the old to the new coinage and currency. However, there was one disadvantage. By comparison to many other coinages, the Vanuatuan coins were large and heavy. The 50 vatu coin for example was 33 mm in diameter. The 1980s was a time when the traditional coinage metals of the day had become significantly more expensive, and many countries began reducing the size and weight of their coins.

Vanuatu's 100 vatu coin of 1988 followed this new trend. It was medium-sized, with a diameter of only 24 mm. However, this diameter was close to the diameters of the nickel-brass 5 vatu and copper-nickel 10 vatu coins. Therefore the 100 vatu coin was made considerably thicker than usual, to make it stand out. The 100 vatu coin was produced by the Royal Mint (UK), who had similarly had to make their new UK round pound coin of 1983 thicker than normal in order to make it stand out.

The New Hebrides had in fact had a very large 100 francs coin with a diameter of 37.3 mm. However, it was minted in 1966 only. Initially, Vanuatu's highest denomination had been 50 vatu, until the 100 vatu coin was issued in 1988.

[<k>]

DESIGN STRUCTURE OF THE FIRST COINAGE



Vanuatu: first coin series.

The first series consisted of two distinct coin tiers.

A coin tier is a group of coins of the same colour and shape.

Coins of the same colour generally share the same metal contents.

Their shape can be round, scalloped, or in various polygonal shapes.


The Vanuatuan denominations with one digit were all in nickel-brass.

The denominations with two digits were all in copper-nickel.


In effect, the denomination types defined the coin tiers.

These characteristics were inherited from the New Hebridean coin series.


Furthermore, the nickel-brass coins share a common reverse design.

The copper-nickel 10 and 20 vatu coins share a common reverse design.

The 50 vatu coin has a separate reverse design.

Again, this structure follows the New Hebridean example.




Coinage of the New Hebrides.

See:  Coin tiers: metal colours according to number of denomination digits.

[<k>]

PHASING OUT OF THE 1 AND 2 VATU COINS

The 1 and 2 vatu coins were no longer minted after 2002.

The Reserve Bank of Vanuatu stopped issuing them in 2011.

They had become infrequently used due to inflation.


The 1 and 2 vatu coins are still legal tender, however.

Cash transactions are now rounded to the nearest 5 vatu.

[<k>]

NEW COIN SERIES OF 2015

Vanuatu issued a new coin series in 2015.

The Royal Australian Mint produced the new series.

The reverses were designed and modelled by Aleksandra Stokic.


The coins were now smaller and lighter.

They were minted in less expensive alloys.


The coins also had new reverse designs.

Each coin had its own separate reverse design.

The lowest denomination was now 5 vatu.

[<k>]

Obverse of the 5 vatu coin.

The 5 vatu coin was made of copper-plated steel.

It weighed 2.9 grams and was 19 mm in diameter.


The obverse design featured the national emblem.

[<k>]

Reverse of the 5 vatu coin.

The reverse design featured a traditional outrigger canoe.

[<k>]

Obverse of the 10 vatu coin.

The 10 vatu coin was made of nickel-plated steel.

It weighed 3.6 grams and was 21 mm in diameter.


The obverse design featured the national emblem.

[<k>]

Reverse of the 10 vatu coin.

The reverse design featured a coconut crab.

[<k>]

A coconut crab.

From Wikipedia:

The coconut crab (Birgus latro) is a terrestrial species of giant hermit crab. It is also known as the robber crab or palm thief. It is the largest terrestrial arthropod known, with a weight of up to 4.1 kg (9 lb). The distance from the tip of one leg to the tip of another can be as wide as 1 m (3 ft 3 in). It is found on islands across the Indian and Pacific Oceans, as far east as the Gambier Islands, Pitcairn Islands and Caroline Island and as far south as Zanzibar.

[<k>]

Reverse of the 20 vatu coin.

The 20 vatu coin was made of nickel-plated steel.

It weighed 5.5 grams and was 24.2 mm in diameter.


The obverse design featured the national emblem.

The reverse design featured a village community.

[<k>]

Reverse of the 20 vatu coin.

The 50 vatu coin was made of nickel-plated steel.

It weighed 9.2 grams and was 27 mm in diameter.


The obverse design featured the national emblem.

The reverse featured a kava plant and a coconut sapling.
See:   Kava.