...Vanuatu - 200 vatu ND2020 Polymer Reprint, and 1000 vatu 2020

 Ripablik blong Vanuatu

(Republic of Vanuatu / République de Vanuatu)

Reserve Bank Blong Vanuatu
(Reserve Bank of Vanuatu)

Currency - Vatu (VUV)

 

Below is the first reprint of the 200 vatu polymer note with the year date of (nd)2020. The 200 vatu polymer series was first introduced in 2014, and since 2017, Vanuatu has fully converted its entire series of banknotes from paper to polymer. In 2014, it also introduced a new denomination of 2000 vatu.

As stated above, this is a reprint of the 2014 issue, and is also the first reprint of the polymer series. The signatures on this note belong to the Governor, Semion Malachi Athy and the Minister of Finance, Maki Stanley Simelu. What I do not understand is that Maki Stanley Simelum was the Minister of Finance from 2013 to 2015, and he was replaced by Gaetan Pikioune, who served in the same position from 2016 to 2020. He was then replaced by Johnny Koanapo Rasou in 2020. So, my question is that why does this note bear the signature of Maki Stanley Simelu and not Gaetan Pikioune or even Johnny Koanapo Rasou? I wonder if this note came from the initial 2014 prints that was printed then as surplus but with no serial numbers added until now. If this is correct, then it makes sense as it would be cheaper to buy in bulk than to have them re-ordered as and when needed. This is my opinion only.

 

The designs on this reprint note are exactly the same as the one first released in 2014, including the two signatures, however on closure inspection, I can see the following differences; -

 

1)  The red serial numbers on the left are printed with a larger gap between them, i.e. AA 20 000 220, whilst the first print that I have in my collection, have been printed with the format of AA   14011004. There are more gaps between the numerals for the nd2020 print than the nd2014 note; and

2) It appears that the font used for the two letter prefixes are slightly different too. The two AA for this note looks a little wider and not as tall or slim as the 2014 issue. Is this just me or the note?.

 

The initial issue of the 2014 series was reportedly printed by the French firm, Oberthur Fiduciaire.

The note posted below came from the second bundle of the reprint series with the first prefix of AA20.

Two Hundred Vatu

Coat of Arms, map of Vanuatu

 

Front - Coat of Arms, map (islands) of Vanuatu in reverse image, transparent seashell (horn) on the left.

 

Signatures

Governor - Semion Malachi Athy (tenure since 2013)

Minister of Finance - Maki Stanley Simelu (tenure 2013-2015)

Watermark - N/A

Dimensions - 131mm x 65.5mm

Back - Family theme, family of five relaxing in front of a home with coconut trees growing on the back of the house.

Family relaxing in front of a home

 

Update: Added on 24.03.2024  

One Thousand Vatu

Coat of Arms, map of Vanuatu

Front - Coat of Arms, map (islands) of Vanuatu in reverse image, transparent seashell (horn) on the left.

 

Signatures

Governor - Semion Malachi Athy (tenure since 2013)

Minister of Finance - Maki Stanley Simelu (tenure 2013-2015)

Watermark - N/A

Dimensions - 131mm x 65.5mm

Back - Agriculture theme, with cattle and trees.

.

Agriculture theme, with cattle and trees

.Vanuatu - 1000 Vatu 40th Anniversary of Independence 1980-2020 Folder Issue # VU40 000058

Ripablik blong Vanuatu

(Republic of Vanuatu / République de Vanuatu)

Reserve Bank Blong Vanuatu
(Reserve Bank of Vanuatu)

Currency - Vatu (VUV)

This is the 1000 vatu folder commemorative note issued for the country's 40th Anniversary of Independence 1980-2020, from Great Britain and France. Independence was granted on 30/07/1980.

Ttttttttttttt.  A single note of 1000 vatu was issued for general circulation on 23/07/2020. In addition to these, 1000 pieces of these notes were sold in a folder at a premium. For these 1000 sets, the serial numbers range from the first note to note number 1000.

On the folder, the following texts are printed in English, Bislama (Vanuatu) and French:-

This banknote issue is to commemorate the 40 years of political independence and also celebrates the successful implementation of the new family of banknotes and coins from the Vatu Currency Reform. The commemorative issue marks a confident and mature Vanuatu taking charge of its affairs including currency matters.

On the back of the folder, the following texts are also printed;-

RESERVE BANK OF VANUATU

Vanuatu achieved its political independence from Great Britain and France on July 30, 1980. On December 18, 1980, five months after the birth of the nation, Parliament approved the Central Bank Act which marked the formal establishment of the Central Bank of Vanuatu.

The Central Bank of Vanuatu began operation on January 1, 1981 when it took over the relevant assets and liabilities of the Institut d'Emission d'Outre-Mer.

This gave it the right to issue Vatu currency (formerly known as New Hebrides Franc-FNH) a function passed from the Banque de L'Indochine to the Institute d'Emission and eventually to the Central Bank.

On March 22, 1982, the Central Bank issued the first Vatu notes and from April 1, 1983, the FNH notes and the Australian currency ceased to be legal tender although the Central Bank continued to give value for the FNH notes.

In May 1989, parliament approved an amendment of the Central Bank Act. The 'Central Bank of Vanuatu' then became the 'Reserve Bank of Vanuatu' (RBV).

It is interesting that the Australian dollars were once officially circulating in Vanuatu (New Hebrides) as from 1966, as the New Hebrides franc was then pegged to the Australian dollar for 100 francs equal to one dollar. As it mentioned above, the Australian dollar ceased legal tender following the introduction of the vatu currency in 1982. The exchange rate between the new vatu and the New Hebrides franc was at par. I am not sure if anyone will still be doing this, if they have any, as the New Hebrides banknotes would have a higher collectible value than the official exchange rate.

Due to its past history, all banknotes in Vanuatu are printed both in English and French languages on the front. However only the English language is printed on the front of the folder. 

Governor - Mr. Simeon Malachi Athy
Minister of Finance - Maki Standley Simelum
Size - 140mm x 65mm

One Thousand Vatu

Dated 2020, s/n VU40 000058

Reverse

 Front Cover

...Vanuatu - 1000 Vatu 40th Anniversary of Independence 1980-2020

Ripablik blong Vanuatu

(Republic of Vanuatu / République de Vanuatu)

Reserve Bank of Vanuatu

Currency - Vatu (VUV)

Vanuatu, once known as New Hebrides Condominium (French : Condominium des Nouvelles Hebrides), was colonised by both Great Britain and France from the 18th century. Both Great Britain and France then agreed to make the islands an Anglo-French condominium in 1906 and divided the country into two separate communities; one Anglophone and one Francophone. This division means that schools in the country teach either one of the language or the other i.e. English or French. The condominium ended in 1980 when the country gained its independence and called itself the Republic of Vanuatu. To the locals, the word Vanuatu means "Our Land Forever".

Independence day was granted on 30/07/1980. Fast forward 40 years, and in 2020 the country celebrates the 40th Anniversary of Independence.

To celebrate the country's independence anniversary, the bank issued a 1000 vatu polymer note to commemorate this special occasion. This note was released on 23/07/2020 with the 40 years Independence logo overprint on the current 1000 vatu polymer note. In addition to this, it also celebrates the successful implementation of Vanuatu's new family of banknotes and coins from the vatu currency reform. Vanuatu adopted the vatu currency in 1981 and in 1982 issued its own first currency of 100, 500 and 1000 vatu. These three paper banknotes were also sold in a simple brown album souvenir set all with matching serial numbers. Prior to this, the country's currency was called New Hebrides franc. The vatu is a single unit of currency with no subdivision i.e only dollars but no cents.  However I am not sure as to why the currency unit did not start with one vatu and have subdivisions like many other countries do. This would definitely eliminate at least three zeros on the currency value. It would be interesting to know why. Perhaps this was not to confuse the locals as they were already used to the previous currency system of the New Hebrides franc which were also with values from 100, 500 and 1000 francs.

The design of this note is the same as the current 1000 vatu polymer note first issued in 2014. However to commemorate this special occasion, it added the anniversary logo onto the note. The anniversary logo consists of the nation flag, the numeral 40, the year 1980-2020 and a single word in English 'Independence'.

Vanuatu has in the past issued banknotes to celebrate its independence anniversary;

200 Vatu nd1995 - 15th Anniversary of Independence (1980-1995);

1000 Vatu nd2005 - 25th Anniversary of Independence (1980-2005);

10000 Vatu nd2010 - 30th Anniversary of Independence (1980-2010). 

Governor - Mr. Simeon Malachi Athy
Minister of Finance - Maki Standley Simelum
Size - 140mm x 65mm

All notes are printed with the prefix of VU40. Judging by the prefix and serial numbers, it is believed that the maximum notes printed was one million pieces. It is not sure if any replacement prefix is printed for this series.

One Thousand Vatu

Dated 2020, Melanesian chief standing with spear

Reverse - agricultural, cows, farming

Footnote:
I am a bit confused here with the signature for the Minister of Finance. It appears that this note has the two signatures of Mr. Simeon Malachi Athy (Governor) and Maki Standley Simelum (Minister of Finance between 01/05/2013 - 11/06/2015). This is the same note as the 1000 vatu first issued in 2014. According to the Vanuatu Parliament website, the current Minister of Finance is Johnny Koanapo Rasou who was appointed on 20/04/2020 following the last general election. Prior to that this position was occupied by Gaetan Pikioune (Minister of Finance 11/02/2016 - 20/04/2020). The last known note issued prior to this was the 500 vatu nd2017 commemorating the Pacific Mini games with the signature of Gaetan Pikioune. This new 1000 vatu note and the one previously issued (500 vatu nd2017 commemorative) do not share the same signature for the Minister of Finance. So, how does this work? It is very unlikely that this new 1000 vatu commemorative note was ordered and printed after the appointment of Johnny Koanapo in April 2020 as it would not have sufficient time to have them ready by July 2020. Below I have also posted the 2014 first issue of the 1000 vatu for comparison.

One Thousand Vatu (nd2014 normal circulating issue)

nd2014 issue

So what are the possibilities here?
1) Could it be that this note was planned way ahead during the tenure of Maki Simelum as the Minister of Finance between 10.05.2013 to 11.06.2015? If not, then it should have the signature of Gaetan Pikioune instead as he was the Minister from February 2016 to April 2020; or
2) Could it be that the bank used the current stock and only added the commemorative logo and the new prefix on it. Do they just print banknotes without the serial number for future use? Is this possible? 

My conclusion on this is that this commemorative note was printed between 2014 to 2015 when Maki Simelum was still the Minister of Finance or it was printed together with the 2014 prints in readiness for this 40th year independence celebration.

If anyone out there has an explanation to this mystery, I would like to hear from you.

...Vanuatu - 500 Vatu X Pacific Mini Games Commemorative 2017 Polymer

Ripablik blong Vanuatu / Republic of Vanuatu / République de Vanuatu

Reserve Bank of Vanuatu

Port Vila, the capital of Vanuatu staged the 10th Pacific Mini Games from 04/12/2017 to 15/12/2017. This was the second time Vanuatu had hosted these games, after the 1993 games. A total of 24 nations, including Australia and New Zealand participated in these games with New Caledonia winning the most gold medals (Papua New Guinea won the most medals of 85, 3 more than New Caledonia). The Pacific Mini games involved 24 sports and 2000 athletics competed in the tournament.

A 500 Vatu note was issued to commemorate this special event. The note issued has the same design of the current 500 Vatu polymer note issued in 2017, but with an overprint of the game's logo. The motto of the games was One Ocean, One People.

Five Hundred Vatu

Dated 2017

Reverse

Vanuatu - 2017 Issues 500 and 5000 Vatu Polymer Uncut Sheet of 2-In-1

Ripablik blong Vanuatu

Republic of Vanuatu

République de Vanuatu

Reverse Bank of Vanuatu

These are two polymer notes of 500 and 5000 Vatu 2-in-1 uncut sheet issued on 27.10.2017 and 28.07.2017 respectively. As per previous polymer series tradition, these are the final of the two uncut sheets of the series first issued in 2010 (10000 Vatu 30th Year of Independence Commemorative).

Governor: Semion Malachi Athy (appointed 11.10.2013);
Minister of Finance: Gaetan Pikioune (appointed 11.02.2016)

Five Hundred Vatu

ND2017

Reverse

Five Thousand Vatu

ND2017

Reverse

...Vanuatu - Hand Signed notes Matching Seria Nos Complete Set 2010 - 2017

Ripablik blong Vanuatu
Republic of Vanuatu
République de Vanuatu

I have recently acquired the last two of the Hand Signed notes of 500 and 5000 vatu and here I have updated a complete set of the notes with matching serial numbers, first issued in 2010. In 2010, Vanuatu commenced releasing a new series of polymer banknotes replacing the paper banknotes series with the first denomination of the 10000 vatu, the highest value ever issued. Vanuatu first issued it's own currency in 1982. It is believed that the 10000 vatu polymer note issued in 2010 was for the celebration of the nation's 30th Year of Independence (1980-2010). However this note was not printed with any commemorative logo or any text to celebrate the occasion. For this special occasion, the central bank issued the first 100 sets with serial 000001 to 000100 all personally hand signed by the then Bank Governor and Minister of Finance, Odo Tevi and Sela Molisa respectively.

Since then the bank retained this unique tradition for the remaining series by issuing the first 100 sets for the remaining series released in 2014 and 2017, all personally signed by the Governor and the Minister of Finance. As these are specially issued for souvenir purposes, they are all issued in a folder at a premium. Below are some of the unique features; -

1) Obviously no two signatures are of the same;
2) The colours of the pens/inks used for the signatures are not the same as those printed for normal circulation;
3) The fonts for the serial numbers for the notes are not all the same as these series were printed by two difference imprinters;
4) Traditionally all signatures are printed/signed above their respective job titles for both paper and polymer notes. However, the last two values, 500 and 5000 vatu (ND2017), the hand signed notes that I have are all signed below their respective titles. I wonder who made the mistake first, the Governor or the Minister of Finance or was it deliberately signed this way? Oooopsie!! I am also wondering if all the 100 pieces for the 500 and 5000 vatu are signed this way too? If not, would you consider them as errors? If so, then you can really classify these last two notes as "human error". See image below for the 5000 vatu note.

signing errors

 

Whilst the issues were only meant for 100 sets, it is not sure why the bank released more than 100 sets for the 2000 vatu note. However unlike the first 100 sets, these additional sets were issued with a much higher serial numbers range and are not from the first AA prefix prints.

Below, I have uploaded a full set from 200 to 10000 vatu all with matching serial nos;

AA10 000010 - 10,000 vatu (NPA);
AA14 000010 - 200, 1000 & 2000 vatu (Oberthur Fiduciaire, France); and
AA17 000010 - 500 & 5000 vatu (NPA).

L to R - 200, 500, 1000, 2000, 5000 & 10000 vatu

As Vanuatu first polymer series are printed by NPA and Oberthur Fiduciare, we are not sure if any replacement prefix has been printed, especially for those printed by Oberthur Fiduciaire (200, 1000 & 2000 vatu). It is unlikely that you will find any for those printed by NPA. So far, none has been reported yet.

Ten Thousand Vatu (30th Year of Independence Commemorative)

ND2010, P16. s. Odo Tevi & Sela Molisa

Reverse

Folder Front Cover

Folder inside

Two Hundred Vatu

ND2014, P12, s Semion Malachi Athy & Maki Stanley Simelum

Reverse

Folder Front Cover

One Thousand Vatu

ND2014, P13, s Semion Malachi Athy & Maki Stanley Simelum

Reverse

Folder Front Cover

Two Thousand Vatu

ND2014, P14, s Semion Malachi Athy & Maki Stanley Simelum

Reverse

Folder Front Cover

Five Hundred Vatu

ND2017, P18, s Semion Malachi Athy & Gaetan Pikioune

Reverse

Folder Front Cover

Five Thousand Vatu

ND2017, P19, s Semion Malachi Athy & Gaetan Pikioune

Reverse

Folder Front Cover

 

Footnote: 

If you have any of these hand signed notes, please feel free to let me know by posting your comment below.

Vanuatu - 2017 Issues 500 and 5000 Vatu Polymer

Ripablik blong Vanuatu

Republic of Vanuatu

Two polymer notes of 500 and 5000 Vatu issued on 27.10.2017 and 28.07.2017 respectively. These are the final of the two polymer notes, since the country converted to Polymer banknotes in 2011. 

The designs on the front of the notes are basically the same. However the designs on the back for both notes have changed from the previous paper banknotes. These notes bear the signatures of;-

Governor: Semion Malachi Athy;

Minister of Finance: Gaetan Pikioune

Five Hundred Vatu

ND2017

Reverse

Five Thousand Vatu

ND2017

Reverse

Vanuatu - 2014 Polymer Series 2-Uncut Sheets

A full set of three 2-uncut sheets of polymer notes of Vanuatu Vt200, Vt1000 and Vt2000 all issued in 2014. I have no information on the quantity issued. Perhaps the quantity is the same as the 2010 VT10000 Commemorative polymer note issued in 2010 (ceased circulation in 2013), but then I have no info on that one either. I am not sure other uncut sheets were also issued, but so far none has been reported apart from these. The first prefix for this series is AA14 but again I am not sure if these are also issued with AA prefix. Even the set I have below is showing the prefixes are not in sequence ie AD, AF and AE. The 3 sheets I have here are all with matching numbers.

Two Hundred Vatu - Uncut Sheet of 2

ND2014

Reverse

One Thousand Vatu

ND2014

Reverse

Two Thousand Vatu

ND2014

Reverse

Vanuatu - 2014 Polymer Series with Hand Signed Signatures Issued In Folders

Like the 10,000 Vatu Commemorative note issued in 2010, here I have posted 3 definitive polymer notes issued in 2014, all personally hand signed by the Bank Governor and Minister of Finance, Semion Malachi Athy and Maki Stanley Simelum respectively. Given that these are hand signed notes, and if you look closely you will notice that no two signatures are the same. These are limited edition and the purpose of this is to celebrate the conversion of currency from paper to polymer. Each note comes in a presentation folder and only 100 sets issued with serial numbers from 1 to 100. This is the only way if you are keen on getting single or double digits numbered notes.
Printer: Oberthur Fiduciaire, France.

Two Hundred Vatu

ND2014

Reverse

Folder Front Cover

One Thousand Vatu

ND2014

Reverse

Folder Front Cover

Two Thousand Vatu

ND2014

Reverse

Folder Front Cover