2 Dollars 1977, Solomon Islands
| in Krause book | Number: 5а |
| Years of issue: | 24.10.1977 |
| Edition: | |
| Signatures: | Chairman: Mr. John Palfrey , Member Monetary Authority: Mr. Jezriel Korinihona |
| Serie: | 1977 Serie |
| Specimen of: | 24.10.1977 |
| Material: | Cotton fiber |
| Size (mm): | 139 x 70 |
| Printer: | TDLR (Thomas de la Rue & Company), London |
* All pictures marked 
are increased partially by magnifying glass, the remaining open in full size by clicking on the image.
** The word "Specimen" is present only on some of electronic pictures, in accordance with banknote images publication rules of appropriate banks.
Description
Watermark:
The Sanford's sea eagle catching fish.
The Sanford's sea eagle (Haliaeetus sanfordi), sometimes listed as Sanford's fish eagle or Solomon eagle, is a sea eagle endemic to the Solomon Islands. The "sea eagle" name is to be preferred, to distinguish the species of Haliaeetus from the closely related Ichthyophaga true fish eagles. The species was described in 1935 by Ernst Mayr who noticed that earlier observers had overlooked it, thinking it was a juvenile of the white-bellied sea eagle.
The Sanford's sea eagle was discovered by and named after Dr Leonard C. Sanford, a trustee for the American Museum of Natural History. The first description was by Ernst Mayr in 1935. It can reach a length between 70-90 cm. (28-35 in.) and a weight between 1.1-2.7 kg. (2.4-6.0 lb.). The wingspan is between 165-185 cm. (5.41-6.07 ft.). It is the only large predator on the Solomon Islands. The eagles inhabits coastal forests and lakes up to an altitude of about 1500 m. asl.
The plumage is whitish brown to bright brown on the head and the neck. The underparts are brown to reddish brown and dark brown. The upperparts are darkish brown to gray-black. The eyes are bright brown. Uniquely among sea eagles, this species has an entirely dark tail throughout its life.
The breeding season is from August to October. The nest consists of two eggs.
The diet consists of mainly of tideline carrion, fish, molluscs, crabs, tortoises, and sea snakes, and more rarely birds and megabats snatched from the rainforest canopy. It has also been reported to feed opportunistically on the northern common cuscus. 
Avers:
The original photograph, on which the engraving is based, was an official portrait taken around 1962 by Anthony Buckley in Buckingham palace.
The engraving of this portrait, which was used for the Canadian 1- and 2-dollar notes issued in 1973 and for the 20-dollar notes issued in 1969 and 1979, was executed by George Gundersen of the British American Banknote Company.
HM The Queen Elizabeth II.
This portrait depicts Queen Elizabeth in an evening dress, wearing a diamond necklace and diamond earrings.
The diamond necklace was presented to Elizabeth in April 1947, while she was still a princess, as a gift from the people of South Africa. The necklace was originally constructed with twenty-one large diamonds, connected by links that contained two small brilliant-cut diamonds mounted to either side of a baguette diamond. Shortly after Elizabeth ascended the throne, she had the necklace shortened to fifteen large stones, with the remaining stones being made into a matching bracelet. The necklace worn in this portrait is the shortened version. (From Her Majesty's Jewel Vault)
The earrings worn by Queen Elizabeth are Queen Mary’s Cluster Earrings.
These earrings were made for Queen Mary in 1922 of a central large diamond surrounded by two rows of diamonds set in platinum with millegrain edging. According to Hugh Roberts in The Queen's Diamonds, the large diamonds originally set in the center were the Mackinnon diamonds, one of Queen Mary's wedding gifts. Those were later removed for use in Queen Mary's Floret Earrings, and were replaced in the cluster earrings by another two diamonds from her wedding gifts, these from the Bombay Presidency.
The cluster earrings passed to the Queen in 1953, and she's used them for evening and cocktail events ever since. They are a large and impressively sparkling addition to her earring collection. (From Her Majesty's Jewel Vault)
In top corners are the pictures of stylized birds.
Lower centered are the stylized fish.
Behind them is Apira (Ceremonial Food Bowl). Size: 29.5 x 5.5 x 11 cm.
This ornate ceremonial food bowl was used for offerings and displayed during other traditional occasions and celebrations. Skilled craftsmen carved the soft wood Alstoiaa Scholaris that was then darkened by a mixture of charcoal and natural plant sap and inlaid with nautilus shell. Traditional motifs appearing on the apiras may include those of fish, birds, other animal and human figures. (http://www.aboriginalpacificart.com.au)
Alstonia scholaris (Apocynaceae, commonly called Blackboard tree, Indian devil tree, Ditabark, Milkwood pine, White cheesewood and Pulai is an evergreen, tropical tree native to the Indian subcontinent and Indomalaya, Malesia and Australasia.
On the right side are bokolo.
The bokolo is a form of money which natives of Solomon Islands used to pay for bride price, buy land, tribal reconciliation and compensation.
Bokolo is made of clam shell and normally, collectors from overseas are the main people to buy this artifact because of its uniqueness.
Denominations in numerals are in top and lower right corners, in words centered.
Revers:
Solomon Islands fishermen with a fishing net and spears. Symbolizing the fishing as one of the major local trade.
On the left side are, again, bokolo.
Denominations in numerals are in top and lower left corners, in words and in numeral in lower right corner.
Comments:
The notes of the Solomon Islands were prepared by Thomas De la Rue and this portrait is slightly different to the engraving prepared for the Canadian notes. The De La Rue image uses finer lines in the shading of the face and The Queen looks a little more severe than in the Canadian notes.
On 24 October 1977, banknotes were introduced in denominations of 2, 5 and 10 dollars, with 20 dollar notes added on 24 October 1980. The first issues of banknotes depicted Queen Elizabeth II. However, all new series afterwards had her image replaced with that of the national crest. 50 dollar notes were first introduced in 1986, followed by 100 dollar notes in 2006.
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