50 tala 1985

Common. The 50 tala denomination from the 1985 Western Samoa series saw standard commercial circulation and remains readily available in the market. While specimen notes command a slight premium over circulated examples due to their presentation quality and the red SPECIMEN overprint, they were produced in reasonable quantities for banking and archival purposes. No documented print-run restrictions, recalls, or extraordinary scarcity factors apply to this Pick number.

Issued by the Central Bank of Samoa during the mid-1980s, this note reflects Western Samoa's post-independence monetary sovereignty and cultural pride. The prominent featuring of the Head of State's residence—the former home of Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson, who spent his final years in Samoa—underscores the nation's connection to colonial heritage while asserting its contemporary governance. The dual-language inscriptions (Samoan and English) and traditional village scenes on the reverse document the cultural values the Central Bank chose to emphasize during this period of national consolidation.

The obverse features a formal portrait of Malietoa Susuga Tanumafili II, the reigning Head of State during this period, positioned on the right side in ceremonial dress. The Samoan national flag (white field with blue canton containing the Southern Cross stars) is prominently displayed in the upper center. The architectural centerpiece is Vailima, the former residence of Robert Louis Stevenson built in 1890, which by 1985 served as the official residence of the Head of State—a powerful symbol merging Samoa's colonial literary heritage with contemporary governance. The reverse depicts a traditional Samoan village landscape with palm trees and figures engaged in settlement life, paired with the national coat of arms (featuring a cross and laurel wreath in heraldic arrangement) in the lower center. Both sides incorporate extensive guilloche and ornamental border work in green, cream, and pastel tones, with security-focused fine-line engraving throughout.

FRONT: 'FALETUPE TUTOTONU O SAMOA' (Central Bank of Samoa), 'TUPE FA'ATAGAINA-MALO O SAMOA I SISIFO' (Legal tender in Western Samoa), 'LEGAL TENDER IN WESTERN SAMOA' (English equivalent), 'LIMA SEFULU TALA' (Fifty tala in Samoan), 'FIFTY TALA' (English denomination), 'FORMER RESIDENCE OF ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON AND CURRENT OFFICIAL RESIDENCE OF THE HEAD OF STATE OF WESTERN SAMOA' (identification of depicted building), 'MINISTER OF FINANCE' and 'GENERAL MANAGER' (signature line identifiers), 'SPECIMEN' (overprint). BACK: 'FALETUPE TUTOTONU O SAMOA' (Central Bank of Samoa), 'LIMA SEFULU TALA' (Fifty tala), 'CENTRAL BANK OF SAMOA' (English institution name), '$50' (denomination in corners), 'SPECIMEN' (overprint), with '$50' repeated in denomination circles.

Intaglio engraving, the standard security printing method for banknotes of this era. The complexity of the guilloche patterns, fine-line background work, portrait rendering, and architectural detail all indicate deep-plate intaglio production. The extensive use of color separation, gradient shading, and watermark areas suggests professional security printing, likely produced by De La Rue or a comparable international security printer contracted by the Central Bank of Samoa, though documentation of the specific printer for Pick P-29 is not definitively recorded in primary sources.

This is identified as a SPECIMEN variety, indicated by the red diagonal 'SPECIMEN' overprint visible across both obverse and reverse. The serial number 'A000000' is typical of specimen notes rather than regularly issued currency. No signature varieties or significant date variants are documented for Pick P-29, though careful collectors should note that the similar later issue (P-36) bears the legend 'Legal Tender in Samoa' rather than 'Legal Tender in Western Samoa,' reflecting the official name change following the dropping of 'Western' from the nation's formal title in 1997.