Coinage of Tonga

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Tonga, 50 seniti, 1974.

Also in 1974, the 50 seniti coin became 12-sided.

It was very slightly smaller than the round version.

It now weighed 14.6 grams and had a diameter of 31.6 mm.


Design-wise, it was a one-year type only.

The obverse and reverse designs were changed the following year.

See also:  Polygonal coins have many sides and many facets.

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NEW DESIGN SERIES OF 1975

In 1973 the Tongan authorities began planning a new design series. They hoped that it would appeal to collectors and earn Tonga some extra money. Up stepped Bernard Mechanick, a maverick American entrepreneur who was already philatelic adviser to Tonga. In the early 1960s he had produced and marketed gold-embossed stamps for Tonga, and in 1972 he had even produced musical stamps for Bhutan that could be played on a record player.

Mr Mechanick contacted the Royal Mint, Tonga's existing supplier, but he found their prices too high. Eventually the Royal Australian Mint tendered lower and won the contract. A British link remained, however, since the new designs were created by Maurice Meers of Walsall Security Printers Ltd, a graphic design company located near Birmingham in England. He, along with Ernest Hyde, had produced the first numismatic portrait of King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV. It had appeared on the Tongan circulation coins issued in July 1967, some months after the series that had honoured the late Queen Salote. Mr Meers had later provided stamp designs honouring the King of Tonga, which is how he met Mr Mechanick.

By 1975, flora and fauna themes had long been firm attractions with collectors, which is undoubtedly why they were chosen for the new set. The coins also promoted the United Nation's Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), and, unlike many coins that were part of the FAO numismatic programme, their legends explicitly referenced FAO. The acronym "F·A·O" appeared above the King's portrait, and the phrase "FAKALAHI ME'AKAI", which is Tongan for "Grow more food", appeared on all the reverse legends except one. The sole exception was the reverse of the 2 seniti coin, which proclaimed "PLANNED FAMILIES · FOOD FOR ALL" and featured the UN Family Planning emblem. These explicit FAO themes lent the set still more potential collector-appeal.

These FAO-themed designs are stylised rather than sophisticatedly realistic. However, they do have a simple charm. All the designs gel perfectly, a feature markedly lacking in Tonga's previous design series.

Other countries have occasionally used the punning approach of relating the denominational numeral to the number of items on the coin design, for instance the UK threepence and sixpence of 1927 to 1936, which showed three and six acorns respectively. However, the 1975 Tongan set stands alone in applying this principle across the whole coin series.

The designs of the 1975 Tongan set are not high art, but their quirky charm and stylistic cohesion make them a set to remember. Maurice Meers brought verve, humour, skill and a clear vision to their execution. Bernard Mechanick was the colourful salesman who provided the quaint but quirky ideas. Mr Mechanick died in 2011, aged 87. Sadly, Maurice Meers died in a car accident the following year, aged 81. This delightful Tongan set remains, though, as a testament to their joint endeavours.

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Tonga, 1 seniti, 1975.

The 1 seniti coin was now minted in bronze again.

Its size, shape and weight remained the same, however.

Its obverse design featured maize.

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Tonga, 1 seniti, 1975.

The reverse design featured a pig.

FAKALAHI ME'AKAI  is Tongan for "Grow more food".

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Tonga, 2 seniti, 1975.

The obverse design featured 2 water melons.

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Tonga, 2 seniti, 1975.

The reverse design of the 2 seniti coin.

It featured the United Nations Family Planning symbol.

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Tonga, 5 seniti, 1975.

The obverse design of the 5 seniti coin.

It featured a hen and four chicks - 5 poultry birds in total.


Did this design pay homage to the Irish barnyard series?

That series also depicted a pig, and hen and chicks.

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Tonga, 5 seniti, 1975.

The reverse design featured 5 bananas.

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Tonga, 10 seniti, 1975.

The obverse featured a portrait of the king.

He was depicted in military uniform.


The same portrait graced the 20 and 50 seniti obverses.

It also appeared on the 1 pa'anga obverse.


Curiously, the King's title is not shown on the coin.

This is most unusual and perhaps even unique on world coins.

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Tonga, 10 seniti, 1975.

The reverse design featured 10 cows.

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Tonga, 20 seniti, 1975.

The 20 seniti reverse design.

It featured 20 bees swarming out of a hive.


The bees are flying in a circle.

The circle follows the shape of the coin.


The obverse design featured the king in uniform.

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Tonga, 50 seniti, 1975.

The obverse design featured the king.

He was depicted in military uniform.

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Tonga, 50 seniti, 1975.

The reverse design featured 50 swimming fish.

They are packed into a swirling circle.

I do admire the artistic flair shown here.

See:  50 fish on 50 cents: Denomination reflected in design.

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Tonga, 1 pa'anga, 1975.

The 1 pa'anga coin was equal to 100 senitis.

The reverse design featured 100 palm trees.

They are all laid out in neat rows.


The obverse design featured the king in uniform.

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Tonga, 2 pa'anga, 1975.

The reverse design of the 2 pa'anga coin.

It depicts each species shown on the lower denominations.


The obverse design featured the king in uniform.

NOTE

This 2 pa'anga coin was a collector coin only.

It was not issued into circulation.