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100 Francs Grand-Bassam
| Issuer | Banque de l'Afrique Occidentale |
|---|---|
| Year | 1920 |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse is printed in olive-green and features an elaborate geometric and arabesque framework composed of dense guilloche borders and interlocking decorative panels, with Arabic inscriptions throughout identifying the bank and the note's terms. A black letterpress overprint reading CÔTE D'IVOIRE is applied diagonally across the centre of the note. |
| Reverse lettering | Georges DUVAL . fecit. |
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| Comments |
The Banque de l'Afrique Occidentale was a private colonial institution — not a state central bank — holding the note-issuing concession for French West Africa, and Grand-Bassam was the administrative capital of Côte d'Ivoire at the time of this issue, though the city was already in decline after yellow fever epidemics forced the colonial seat inland to Boissy-ville, later Abidjan.
Bellery-Desfontaines was primarily a poster artist and illustrator, an unusual choice for banknote design; the Florian brothers — Frédéric and Ernest-Théophile — handled the engraving, a family partnership that appears across several BAO issues of the period. The Banque de France printed the series under contract, as the BAO lacked its own production facilities.