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100 Dollars / 100 Piastres

Issuer Banque de l'Indo-Chine
Year 1903-1907
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Value 100 Dollars = 100 Piastres (100 ICFP)
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Obverse description Central vignette shows Vasco da Gama standing at left and a Polynesian man holding a paddle at right, with sailing ships rendered at lower centre. The composition reflects the classical allegorical style of late 19th-century French colonial banknote engraving, signed in the plate by A. Bramtot and G. Duval as designers and J. Robert as engraver.
Obverse lettering BANQUE DE L'INDO-CHINE HAIPHONG ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS CENT PIASTRES TO BE PAID ON DEMAND TO BEARER PAYABLES EN ESPÈCES AU PORTEUR A. BRAMTOT & G. DUVAL FEC. J. ROBERT SC.
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The Banque de l'Indo-Chine held a renewable monopoly on currency issuance in French Indochina, and this high-denomination note — dual-titled in both French and a piastre equivalent — circulated at a time when the piastre was still pegged to silver, creating constant friction between the bank's Paris principals and colonial treasury officials who wanted a gold standard. The dual denomination was a practical concession to regional trade networks spanning Cochinchine, Tonkin, Annam, Laos, and Cambodia, where both terms were in use.

Bramtot was a Prix de Rome laureate; Duval handled ornamental composition. Robert's engraving was executed at the Imprimerie Nationale in Paris. Few notes from this series survive in any condition — the tropical climate was ruthless on paper stock, and the denomination meant limited everyday handling but concentrated exposure to humidity in bank strong rooms.