The pineapple is no mere exotic flourish: for its 1974 series Western Samoa put on its small change the plants that grow on the islands and end up on the table, and the 5 sene went to the pineapple.

The series reverses are by James Berry: on the 5 sene the pineapple fruit is shown with its plant, the value «5 SENE» at left. The obverse, with head of state Malietoa Tanumafili II and the legend «MALIETOA TANUMAFILI II SAMOA I SISIFO», is the work of Thomas Humphrey Paget; «Samoa i Sisifo» is Samoan for Western Samoa.

1974 is the first year of this cupronickel type. That year 1,736,000 pieces of the 5 sene were struck, and the coin was then produced intermittently until 2000. In a Samoan date run it is the opening date of the type, and in a topical set of fruit on coins it is one of the best-known Pacific designs.

The AU-UNC grade sits on the border between AU and UNC: no signs of circulation, or only faint ones on the highest points, with the mint lustre almost fully retained.

VPcoins is a coin and banknote shop where collectable value comes first.