The Coins And Banknotes Of Fiji!

That is a great shot Steve and yes that is definitely staged though!

That is a great Tanoa in front too.

Final General notes before we hit the denominations

People of Fiji

Fiji has a long history with Lapita Polynesians settling the islands around 1,500BC. Around 0AD they were supplanted or moved on by Melanesians who make up the bulk of modern native Fijians. However the Rotuman Islands are Polynesian and even many Fijians have some Polynesian admixture due to strong links to Tonga and some links to Niue, Wallis and Futuna and even Tuvalu.
Melanesian links are to the neighbouring groups of Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and even the coasts of Papua New Guinea.

Melanesian Fijians ruled supreme until around 1820AD (Apart from periods of Tongan rule and vice versa with Fijians in Tonga). Europeans arrived to trade and evangelise Fijians through the early to mid 19th century, a large trading port started at Levuka on Oavalu. The ruling king of the main Islands Viti and Vanua Levu, Cakobau was worried about blackbirders, pirates and unsavoury types in his islands and set up a kingdom around 1865. He asked the British to protect Fiji, but initially they refused, as Britain was worried about destructive effects of more colonisation of natives as the Maori wars raged in NZ. This was before the formation of Germany and the scrambling for colonies in the 1880s. Only the French posed any threat.

Finally around 1873 with Cakobau running his kingdom, he asked again as the French and Americans were making overtures to annex Fiji and make everyone Plantation slaves (Peruvians were already stealing up people from Niue, Fiji, Tuvalu, Solomons and Vanuatu for slavery in guano fields). In 1874 the British made Fiji a colony and began growing sugarcane there as they ahd lost most of their Caribbean holdings and India was no good for the lucrative Sugar industry. However many Fijians refused to work for them and subcontinent Indians were imported to Fiji from 1879 onwards to become labourers. The capital moved from Levuka to Suva on Viti Levu.

Many ended up staying and becoming Fijian residents, relations between Fijian natives and Indians were mixed from full assimilation and intermarriage to outright hostility and war. As the 20th century progressed the Europeans managed the country but never seemed to settle in any great numbers. Missionaries, traders and administrators made up the main contingent of people there. Also many Chinese arrived to be farmers, traders and labourers, to this day some 5% of the population is part or full Chinese like Health Minister James Fong.

Fiji was established as one of the larger and more important outposts in the Pacific, being a hub for other groups. The University of the South Pacific is head quartered in Suva which is the largest city in the Anglophone South Pacific area outside of Port Moresby and anything in Australia and New Zealand.

In 1942 Fiji become a fortress as Japan threatened the Pacific with the nearby Solomon Islands nearly falling to them, Suva was bombed at times and a landing strip was built at Nadi on the NW coast of Viti levu, this later became Fiji's international airport. After the War Fiji developed fast and it was obvious Independence was looming. Tourism was also becoming a big income earner.

In 1970 Fiji gained independence with an Indo Fijian government and through the 70s and early 80s developed fast, however tensions between Fijians and Indians surfaced and in 1987 a coup took place in which the Indian Prime Minister was pushed aside by Colonel Sitiveni Rabuka, an Indigenous Fijian.

Fiji has had 2 more coups, in 2000 by George Speight and 2010 by Voreqe (Frank) Bainamarama. Strangely with all these guys except Speight, they became democratically elected Presidents, Rabuka is still revered and Bainamarama remains popular despite the rampaging Covid outbreak. All realised how important tourism was to Fiji.

Today Fiji is about 900k people and some 94% are Fijian, Fijian mixed with Indian or Indian Fijian. Most of the Fijians are Christians (Protestants) whereas most Indians are Muslims (Some are Hindu and very few are Christian), because they mostly come from Gujarat which is mostly Muslim. Some 4 or 5% are Chinese or White, or mixed race. Since 1987 many Indo Fijians have immigrated - most to New Zealand or Australia.

Most people live subsistence agriculture although the land is good and a nice living can be made, cyclones though cause havoc along with sea level rising on islands like the Lau Group. Fiji's hot wet climate ensures plenty of fruit and vegetable growth and starvation is very rare. Some people live better thanks to tourism (Covid has done its carnage there) and a small group in commerce and Politics live very well.

Now some coins!

Yes,Thanks for taking the time to Post.

One cent coins 1969 - 2006


Size 17.4mm, weight 2.30grams, metal Bronze to 1987, Copper plated steel from 1990. Edge is plain.

This coin was issued from 1969 to 2006, 11 million + 10,000 set coins came out in 1969 and then in 1973 3 million coins. Through 1975 to 1982 coins were issued every year with mintages in the 2 - 5million bracket, with the exception of the 1980 coin, which had only 316k minted.

Several million dated 1983 and 1984 were also minted but none have appeared. The FAO design appeared on 1976 - 1982 coins.



My examples, 2 shots to show the FAO coins.
I have 7 from this era, my 1985 coin turned out to be Solomon Islands. I am missing 1976, 80 and 81.

In 1985 a small issue was made(Unknown) and 3.4 million each in 1986/87. Whereas Australia and NZ abandoned the 1c and 2c coins in the later 80s and early 90s, they went strong in Fiji with copper plated steel coins from 1990 through to 2006. High numbers between 6 million and 17 million per year were issued in 1990, 92, 94, 95, 97 and 99. Also in 2001, but unknown mintage.


My coins, I have every date from this later period

2002 - 2005 saw more mintages, but none of these coins have been found in usage. 2006 was the last year and this coin is magnetic, my example is not very nice (Stained). Again an unknown mintage, but being the 1 cent probably several million coins.

The 1 cent was finally demonitised on 13 October 2008 (Source Numista) in time for the reduced size coins.

Compared to other coins, the 1 cent was a very heavily issued coin with many years over 10 million coins, total mintages reached over 100 million coins or at least 150 per Fijian.

Fortunately many have survived in nice shape and I honestly wonder what use they were after about 1990.

Still an interesting coin.

Mintage info from https://onlinecoin.club/Coins/CoinT...ji/One_Cent/

Who also told me the Tanoa is based on one owned by King Cakobau!

Yes Bula Vanaka, you have the rare 1980 coin, can you confirm if your coins have the FAO obverse?

Never heard of it.

Just kidding.

I have seen it in the store, but I prefer Aquafina... as most of you know, I am a Pepsi (and Pepsi adjacent) guy.

Redlock, that's good then - Have not got to the Dollars yet. See the Queen is still not back on the coins.

Just checked Numista and yes it seems that the $1 was the only regular coin minted in 2017 and the 50 cent Rugby 7's, the other coins are still stuck at 2014.

Yet at least 50 NCLT coins have been issued in that time at $1 like Soft drink bottlecap dollars showing Coke, Fanta, Sprite and also Marvel Superheroes, Leaf shaped dollars and other chintzy nonsense.

Just to let all you know now I will be leaving for a week and there are no desktop computers full of files where I will be, so I will return to this thread just over a week from now.

Stay safe and bone up on what's happened so far.

PS I hope to squeeze in some coin buying.