Australasia

Banknotes from Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific

Australasia covers Australia, New Zealand and the island states of the Pacific. This small category holds five notes that together span from the Second World War to the present day.

The oldest is an Australian 1 pound from 1942, issued by the Commonwealth of Australia during the war. Australia kept the pound, divided into shillings and pence, until the decimal dollar replaced it in 1966, so pre-decimal notes are a closed chapter for collectors. From New Zealand there is a 5 dollars 2015–2016 on polymer, a material New Zealand has used for its notes since 1999.

The Pacific islands are represented by Fiji and the Solomon Islands. Fiji introduced its own dollar in 1969, and the category has a Fiji 2 dollars from 2002 and a 2 dollars 1974 specimen. The Solomon Islands got their own dollar in 1977, a year before independence, and are represented with a 2 dollars from 1986.

Specimen notes and graded notes

The Fiji specimen is numbered SPECIMEN NO 021 and cancelled with punched holes. Specimens were made to show central banks and authorities what new notes looked like, and were never legal tender. This note has also been encapsulated and graded by PCGS, one of the large third-party grading services, which gives an independent assessment of its condition.

What should you look for?

For paper notes like the Australian pound, look for folds, stains and tired paper; an uncirculated (UNC) note has none. Polymer notes do not fold as easily, but scratches and creases still affect the grade. Serial numbers, signatures and replacement notes add further interest, since they can separate one note from another of the same type.

For coins from the same region, see coins from Australasia, or browse all banknotes.