Flag of the condominium of the New Hebrides (1906-1980)
Vanuatu has been inhabited by Melanesians for thousands of years. Spanish explorer Pedro Fernando de Queirós was the first European to visit the islands in 1606 and named them La Austrialia de Espirito Santo. Europeans would not reappear until the late 18th century, when James Cook renamed them after the Scottish Hebrides.
In the 19th century, the practice of blackbirding and infectious diseases seriously affected the population. Vanuatians were forcibly sent to work on plantations in Fiji, Queensland and Samoa. In the late 19th century French colonists started to appear from New Caledonia, and their number soon outpaced the number of British. In 1906 Britain and France agreed to a unique colonial form of government, administering the New Hebrides jointly as a condominium.
During WW2 the Allies installed an airbase on the New Hebrides from which operations for the Solomon Islands Campaign were conducted. In 1980 the New Hebrides became an independent republic which was renamed to Vanuatu.
Currency
Before WW2, a mix of French Francs and British and Australian Pounds were used. The French Franc's value was at times unstable during the 1930's and especially from the start of WW2. After the war in 1945, the French split of the Polynesian Franc (CFP) from the domestic one in order to spare its own overseas territories from further devaluations. The CFP Franc, used in New Caledonia, New Hebrides and French Polynesia, was pegged to the US Dollar at 110 Francs. By 1949 the French Franc had fallen to 5.5 Francs per CFP, with 100 CFP equal to 10 Shillings of the Australian Pound. In 1960 the CFP followed a further 25% devaluation of the Franc which caused the New Hebrides Franc to replace the CFP and keep its link to the Australian Pound. From 1966 the decimalised Australian Dollar was equal to 100 New Hebrides Franc. In 1983 this Franc was replaced by the Vanuatu Vatu at par. Since then it has been linked to a basket of currencies and is currently worth 80/A$ or 108/$. The Vatu has no subdivision.
Coins
Coins of the New Hebrides Franc are fairly hard to find. The most special piece is the silver 100 Francs. In 1983 new Vatu coins were introduced resembling the old currency. In 2015 a new coinage was introduced.
New Hebrides:
https://en.numista.com/catalogue/nouvelles-hebrides-1.html
Vanuatu:
https://en.numista.com/catalogue/vanuatu-1.html