Catalog
1000 Francs
| Issuer | Banque de l'Indochine |
|---|---|
| Year | 1945 |
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| Reference(s) | P#13 |
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| Reverse description | Printed entirely in blue, the reverse carries a central intaglio vignette of a procession of Indochinese coolies wearing conical hats and carrying suspended baskets on shoulder poles across a rural landscape. The denomination numeral 1000 and the legend Mille Francs appear to the right of the vignette, alongside a vertical column of Chinese characters (東方匯理銀行, the Chinese name of the Banque de l'Indochine). The place name NOUMÉA is inscribed to the upper left, and the note is framed by an ornate geometric guilloche border with floral corner medallions. |
| Reverse lettering | NOUMÉA 1000 Mille Francs 東方匯理銀行 (Translation: Noumea 1000 Thousand Francs Banque de l'Indochine [in Chinese]) |
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| Comments |
Banque de l'Indochine's high-denomination wartime notes present a complicated printing history, and this one is no exception. By 1945, French Indochina had passed through Japanese occupation, the March 9 coup that dismantled the colonial administration overnight, and the chaos of the August Revolution — meaning notes printed in New York were often issued into a monetary environment that had already fractured beyond repair.
American Bank Note Company produced this series stateside precisely because French colonial printing infrastructure was either compromised or inaccessible during the war years. Distribution into the territory was patchy at best.