Catalog
100 Piastres
| Issuer | Banque de l'Indo-Chine |
|---|---|
| Year | 1911-1919 |
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| Value | 100 Piastres (100 ICFP) |
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| Obverse description | A central vignette at right presents a standing allegorical female figure in classical dress alongside a robed Asian man, flanking the large numeral '100' set within a guilloche underprint. A dragon motif and ornamental foliage border the left margin, with the bank title 'BANQUE DE L'INDO-CHINE' in a cartouche across the top and the denomination 'CENT PIASTRES' in bold letterpress below the numeral. Three signature lines for branch cashier, director, and administrator appear in the lower portion, with the issue place and date printed above. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse is printed entirely in red-brown on a pale ground, with a coiling dragon vignette occupying the upper register amid cloud scrollwork. Large Chinese seal-script characters are arranged in two horizontal bands framed by decorative borders, with a central panel bearing a further Chinese inscription and a 'shou' longevity symbol at centre. A French anti-counterfeiting legal warning is set in small letterpress text at the lower centre, and the engravers' credits appear in the bottom corners. |
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| Comments |
Banque de l'Indo-Chine's Paris-printed issues of this period occupy an interesting position in colonial monetary history: the bank held a renewable concession from the French government granting it sole right of issue across French Indochina, a privilege it defended aggressively against competition from local Chinese banks and metropolitan rivals alike. The 100 Piastres was the highest denomination in regular circulation and consequently saw heavy use among merchant houses in Saigon and Cholon.
Bellery-Desfontaines was primarily an illustrator and poster artist — an unusual choice alongside the precise intaglio work of Ruffe and Gaspérini, both accomplished Banque de France engravers. The collaboration between a commercial artist and career security printers gives this series a visual character distinct from the more strictly academic engraving typical of French colonial paper of the same decade.