Notaphilists have a lot of options when they’re looking to add Fiji paper money to their collections. The first several decades of collectible Fijian banknotes include issues by Britain and even New Zealand and Australia. If you’re interested in the currency of those places, or simply of Fiji itself, Fijian paper money is a fun collector’s rabbit hole you’ll have fun disappearing into.
Read on for some information about Fiji bills and about collecting them.
Fiji Paper Money Background
The first Fiji paper money items were treasury notes from 1871, used by the British colonizers of the time. These simply-designed pieces are quite rare these days. It may be a while before you’re able to find a nice example in your price range, although you never know what online sellers are going to suddenly throw up for sale.
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Slightly easier to find are government debentures from the same year, as well as tax notes from around the same time. A goal of one of each of these would be a good way to construct an early Fiji paper money collection.
From these earliest days, Fijian paper money items were denominated in dollars and cents, unlike many other British areas which used shillings and pounds at the time. The era of modern-looking banknotes in Fiji began in 1914, when the British issued a series of notes in shillings and pounds inscribed [The] Government of Fiji.
New Zealand and Australia Notes in Fiji
In 1942, several New Zealand banknotes were overprinted for emergency use in Fiji. These special “international” notes have become very collectible. They are simply New Zealand notes of the time with prominent overprints. Look for NZ money with overprints reading GOVERNMENT OF FIJI / £1 ONE POUND £1 [or other value] / THIS NOTE IS LEGAL TENDER IN FIJI ONLY. Special low-value emergency notes were also printed in Australia especially for Fiji in 1942. These are not nearly as rare as the overprints, but are fortunately just as interesting from a collector’s point of view.
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In 1969, the first modern decimalized currency notes were issued in Fiji, in dollars and cents. Queen Elizabeth II has long featured on virtually all Fijian banknotes.
Whatever Fiji banknotes fit into your own collection, keep an eye on internet sales listings. The selection changes often, and since there is no “right” or “wrong” way to collect, just grab whatever strikes your fancy and fits into your budget!
