Description and research notes
This one pound note issued for Fiji in 1942 was created by overprinting an existing Reserve Bank of New Zealand £1 note originally dated 1 August 1934. The base note was printed by Thomas De La Rue & Company in London for circulation in New Zealand, but during the Second World War it was adapted for emergency use within the British colony of Fiji.
In early 1942 Japanese military expansion across the Pacific severely disrupted supply lines throughout the British colonial network. The administration in Fiji faced an immediate shortage of circulating currency because regular shipments of locally authorized banknotes could no longer reach the islands. To resolve the crisis, stocks of New Zealand notes held in the region were converted into legal tender for Fiji through a bold typographic overprint reading 'GOVERNMENT OF FIJI / £1 ONE POUND £1 / THIS NOTE IS LEGAL TENDER IN FIJI ONLY.'
The overprint effectively transformed the New Zealand note into a locally restricted wartime currency while preserving the underlying engraved design. The original elements remain visible, including the kiwi vignette at left, the New Zealand coat of arms at center, and the portrait of Māori King Tāwhiao at right. Red serial numbers prefixed 'FI/O' were applied to distinguish the converted notes from their New Zealand counterparts and to integrate them into Fiji’s emergency circulation system.
Such overprinted issues illustrate the logistical improvisation required to maintain monetary stability in remote territories during wartime. By adapting existing Commonwealth banknotes rather than waiting for newly printed currency, the colonial administration ensured continuity of trade and government payments at a moment when maritime supply routes were under severe threat.
Graded PMG 20 Very Fine, this example retains a strong and fully legible Fiji overprint together with its red FI/O serial number 131408. Notes of this issue typically circulated heavily during the war years and were withdrawn once dedicated Fiji currency was introduced after the crisis subsided. As a result, surviving examples represent important documentary evidence of wartime monetary policy in the Pacific theater.