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100 Dollars / 100 Piastres
| Issuer | Banque de l'Indo-Chine |
|---|---|
| Year | 1879-1890 |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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| Obverse description | Vasco da Gama standing at left and a Polynesian man holding a paddle standing at right frame the central composition, with a vignette of sailing ships at lower centre. The note is inscribed with the issuing authority, denomination in both English and French, and the engravers' credits in the lower margin. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | DECRET DE 21 JANVIER 1875 BANQUE DE L'INDO-CHINE SAIGON HUNDRED DOLLARS CENT PIASTRES TO BE PAID ON DEMAND TO BEARER PAYABLES EN ESPECES AU PORTEUR A. BRAMTOT & G. DUVAL FEC. J. ROBERT SC. |
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| Comments |
Pick 23 is one of the earliest high-denomination issues from the Banque de l'Indo-Chine, established by imperial decree in 1875 with a mandate covering both Cochinchine and the broader French concession territories in Asia. The dual denomination — dollars and piastres printed together — reflects the monetary reality the bank actually faced: the Mexican silver dollar was the dominant trade coin across the region, and the piastre was initially pegged to it, making parallel labeling a practical necessity rather than a political statement.
Bramtot and Duval were both associated with the Paris fine arts establishment; their involvement signals that this note was produced by the Banque de France's printing apparatus or a comparable Parisian atelier. Robert's engraving work on this series is among the more technically ambitious colonial currency work of the period.
The 1879–1890 window spans the consolidation of French Indochina as a unified colonial administration — a process that was still incomplete when the first notes of this issue were signed.