Representatives from the government and business communities were at Robert Louis Stevenson Museum to witness the unveiling for the first time of the five new legal notes.
The new 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 currency notes, all feature new artworks different from the ones currently in use.
The artistry highlights some of Samoa’s key developments in tourism and sports as well as photos of other standout landmarks like the government and also the Central Bank buildings in the center of Apia.
The 100 tala note continues to feature the portrait of the late head of state, Malietoa Tanumafili II.
Blended in among the general art designs are several new protective features against counterfeit and bogus reproduction of the legal notes.
Fraud continues to be a wary concern the general public is regularly warned about by the Central Bank of Samoa.
De La Rue in England printed the currencies at a cost of 7 million tala or $2.8 million, according to Tuilaepa.
All local currencies are under the authority of the Central Bank of Samoa, dating back to 1984 when they held responsible for the first time for organizing the printing of the national currencies.
The new banknotes took the government and the Central Bank three years to organize with the British money printing company, De La Rue in England.
Polymer paper or “plastic” as it is commonly referred to by many in the public, is once again the choice of quality used, and continues the transformation of the last two decades from paper because of its shorter lifespan.
There is a chance however that Samoa will change from 2 tala paper notes to coins, as it is already done in nearby New Zealand and Australia.
“That will be up to the Central Bank to look into. They will need to carry out an opinion survey first of the public’s reaction to such a change,” Tuilaepa said.
Coins currently in use are from 5 cents up to 1 tala. There used to be one and two-cent coins but they have since been phased out and are no longer circulated.
