Fiji (FJD) - Fiji gained its independence from Great Britain in 1970 and has been a member of the Commonwealth of Nations for most of the time since. As a result, Queen Elizabeth II was on their banknotes until 2012, when Fiji decided to change to a Flora and Fauna concept.
Like many former British colonies, Fiji has had a long relationship with Banknote Printer De La Rue which has printed their banknotes. Leveraging De La Rue's designers, they have used several Portraits of Queen Elizabeth II that can be found on other banknotes. The 1971 and 1974 Series of Banknotes use a portrait based on a 1955 Painting by Pietro Annigoni. The portrait features Her Majesty wearing the regalia of the Order of the Garter. This portrait is considered by many as one of the finest portrayals of the young Queen. The same portrait is used on Jersey, Eastern Caribbean States and Mauritius banknotes of the period. Many of the banknotes display landscape scenes on the reverse of the banknotes. Many of the 1974 series signed by Barnes & Craik are also considered to be quite rare.
Banknotes printed in 1982, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1991 and 1992 used portraits based on the official portrait taken by Anthony Buckley around 1966. One thing that is interesting about these notes is the 1982 Barnes and Siwatibau $10 FJD which uses a slightly different engraving to all of the other notes of the period. The engraving on this note was prepared by De La Rue whereas the other ones were prepared by Brandbury and Wilkinson, previously a very famous banknote printer. The reserve of most of these notes focused on the people of Fiji more than the landscapes. It was also during this time that Fiji began using UV fluorescent features for anti-counterfeiting features.
In 1995, Fiji redesigned their banknotes with a new portrait of the Queen, the use of metallic security features and much more complex designs. The reverse of most banknotes are focused Fijian accomplishments and the link between its past and present. The portrait was an interpretation of Terry O'Neill's official 1992 portrait of the Queen. These designs and themes were used for printing in 1995, 1996, 2001, and 2002,
Fiji also released commemorative notes for the year 2000. One was a $2FJD Y2K bill. A much larger, beautiful note was created worth $2,000 FJD. Obviously, this was targeted at the collector market and this note remains one of the largest value notes in the world.
In 2007, Fiji conducted a major redesign of its banknotes and used a 1999 Portrait by Mark Lawrence. This portrait is a beautiful representation of the mature Queen. She is looking right at the user with a kind smile. The same design was used in 2011 when Barry Whiteside took over as Bank Governor. In 2007, the bank also introduced the $100 FJD. 2011 was the last series that used the Queen in the portrait. In 2012, Fiji introduced the Flora and Fauna series featuring native animals and plants. They are also some of the brightest and most colorful notes. Fiji also began using a polymer substrate for the $5FJD. Fiji also put into circulation a $7 commemorative note celebrating the victory of the Fijian 7s rugby team at the 2016 Rio Olympics. These notes are unique in their design and denomination. They are also printed in portrait orientation like the Swiss banknotes are presented.
My cart 0
