10 Nouveaux Francs / New Francs Overprint on P#27 - 500 Francs

The Caisse Centrale de la France d'Outre-Mer issued these overprinted notes as a direct consequence of the 1960 metropolitan reform that redenominated the franc at 100 old to 1 new. Applying the overprint to existing P#27 stock was a practical stopgap — printing entirely new plates for overseas territories took time and resources the Caisse wasn't inclined to commit when a rubber stamp would do the same accounting work.

Serveau's original composition dates from the late 1940s, with engraving split between Beltrand on the face and Hourriez on the reverse — a division of labor typical of Banque de France production discipline. The overprint itself is the note's entire reason for existing in this form.