The pound was the currency of
Western Samoa
Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands ( Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands ( Manono and Apolima); ...
between 1914 and 1967. It was subdivided into 20
shillings, each of 12
pence.
History
In 1914, following the
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
occupation of German Samoa, the
pound sterling
Sterling (abbreviation: stg; Other spelling styles, such as STG and Stg, are also seen. ISO code: GBP) is the currency of the United Kingdom and nine of its associated territories. The pound ( sign: £) is the main unit of sterling, and ...
replaced the
German mark as the currency of the territory. When the
New Zealand pound
The pound (symbol £, £NZ. for distinction) was the currency of New Zealand from 1840 until 1967, when it was replaced by the New Zealand dollar. Like the pound sterling, it was subdivided into 20 shillings (abbreviation s or /) each of 12 pen ...
broke its parity with the
pound sterling
Sterling (abbreviation: stg; Other spelling styles, such as STG and Stg, are also seen. ISO code: GBP) is the currency of the United Kingdom and nine of its associated territories. The pound ( sign: £) is the main unit of sterling, and ...
in 1930 at the beginning of the
great depression, the Samoan unit followed the same course as the
New Zealand pound
The pound (symbol £, £NZ. for distinction) was the currency of New Zealand from 1840 until 1967, when it was replaced by the New Zealand dollar. Like the pound sterling, it was subdivided into 20 shillings (abbreviation s or /) each of 12 pen ...
. There were no special issues of
sterling coinage issued for
Western Samoa
Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands ( Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands ( Manono and Apolima); ...
. The circulating coinage was originally
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
coinage and from 1934 it became predominantly the new New Zealand coinage.
When
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
decimalized its currency in 1967, the Western Samoan pound was replaced by the
tālā, at a rate of 1 pound = 2 tala.
For a more general view of history in the wider region, see
British currency in Oceania.
Banknotes
In 1915, the first, provisional notes (dated 1914 but issued 1915) were issued by the New Zealand Occupying Military force. These were overprinted one pound and five pound notes of the Bank of New Zealand signed by Lt. Colonel Logan. Overprinted Ten shillings notes of the Bank of New Zealand were added in 1920. In 1922, Treasury Notes were issued "by the authority of the New Zealand Government" in denominations of 10 shillings, 1 and 5 pounds. These notes were issued until 1961, when the ''Bank of Western Samoa'' took over paper money issuance. The Bank's first issues were overprints on the Treasury Notes. In 1963, regular type notes were introduced in the same denominations.
References
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External links
Banknotes and paper currency of Pacific Oceania
{{DEFAULTSORT:Western Samoan Pound
Modern obsolete currencies
Pound
Currencies of the British Empire
Currencies of the Commonwealth of Nations
Currencies of Oceania
Currencies of Samoa
Economy of Samoa
1914 establishments in Samoa
1967 disestablishments in Oceania
1914 establishments in the British Empire
1967 disestablishments in the British Empire