The Polynesian island group called Samoa issues its own coins in the tala unit. One tala (i.e., “dollar”) is divided into 100 sene. Samoa was formerly called Western Samoa; it is not the same as American Samoa.
Samoa has issued its own coins since 1967, and while some of its collectible pieces have been coins intended for general circulation, there have also been several silver and gold proofs minted especially for international collectors. Samoa has even issued palladium coins.
Denominations of Samoan coins
To get one coin of each denomination that has ever been issued by Samoa, use this list:
Sene coins: 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50
Tala coins: 1, 2, 5, 10, 25, 50, 100, 200, 500, 1000
Currently, only five denominations of coins are used in general circulation — from 10 sene to 2 tala. There have been quite a few highly collectible and interesting Samoan coins over the years — one popular coin is the two tala coin from 1978, which was actually one-third of a larger coin jointly issued by Samoa, Cook Islands, and Fiji, each of which minted its own third of the coin resulting in one of the more unusual shapes in numismatic history.
More: Malta coins: Collectibles from a Mediterranean island
Inscriptions on Samoan coins may read, depending on the year of issue and the design, Samoa, Western Samoa, or Samoa I Sisifo.
