Catalog
100 Francs
| Issuer | Banque de l'Indochine |
|---|---|
| Year | 1945 |
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| Currency | Franc (1921-1982) |
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| Obverse lettering | BANQUE DE L`INDOCHINE L`article 139 du Code Pénal punit des travaux forcés ceux qui auront contrefait ou falsifié les billets de banques autorisées par la loi. NOUMÉA 100 Fr. NOUVELLES HÉBRIDES CENT FRANCS PAYABLE EN SPÉCES AU PORTEUR SÉB. LAURENT DEL RITA SC. (Translation: Bank of Indochina Article 139 of the Penal Code punished by forced labor perpetuity of those who have counterfeit or falsified these vouchers as well as those who have made use of these vouchers counterfeit or falsified. Noumea 100 Fr. New Hebrides Hundred Francs Payable in cash at sight to bearer) |
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| Reverse lettering | BANQUE DE L`INDOCHINE 100 FRANCS NOUMÉA SÉB. LAURENT DEL RITA SC. (Translation: Bank of Indochina 100 Francs Noumea) |
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| Comments |
This note was designed and engraved under unusual wartime circumstances. Marguerite Dreyfus — known professionally as "Rita" — was one of the few women working as an engraver at the Banque de France's Chamalières facility during the Occupation years, and her credited work on this plate is among the more documented examples of her output. The Banque de France printing connection here is direct: the institution produced notes for Banque de l'Indochine issues when colonial printing infrastructure was inaccessible.
By 1945, Indochina itself was in crisis — Japanese forces had dismantled French colonial administration in March of that year, and notes printed in metropolitan France had little practical means of reaching circulation through normal channels.