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1000 Francs F.C. overprint
| Issuer | Banque de l'Indo-Chine |
|---|---|
| Year | 1943 |
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| Printer | Banque de France, France |
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| Obverse description | Brown and green intaglio print over a yellow underprint, with black serial numbers. The central vignette presents a seated topless woman facing right, set against a market scene with figures among produce and camels in the background. A watermark zone occupies the centre, while a black antelope head, the date, a Cross of Lorraine, and the black 'F.C.' overprint appear at upper right; text in French, Arabic, and Amharic runs along the lower margin. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse lettering | BANQUE DE L'INDO-CHINE አንድ ሺ ፍራንክ ሺ ألف فرنك ۱۰۰۰ L'ARTICLE 139 DU CODE PÉNAL PUNIT DES TRAVAUX FORCÈS CEUX QUI AURONT CONTREFAIT OU FALSIFIÉ LES BILLETS DE BANQUE AUTORISÉE PAR LA LOI 1000 L. JONAS FEC. G. BELTRAND SC. (Translation: Bank of Indochina. One thousand francs. One thousand. Article 139 of the penal code punishes with forced labor those who have counterfeited or falsified banknotes authorized by law.) |
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| Comments |
This note's origins lie in a pragmatic wartime compromise. With the Japanese occupation of Indochina severing normal supply chains, the Banque de l'Indo-Chine turned to the Banque de France to produce currency on its behalf — the "F.C." overprint standing for *francs* in the colonial accounting system, distinguishing these notes from metropolitan French franc instruments.
Beltrand was among the finest intaglio engravers working in Paris during the interwar period, and his contribution here is technically accomplished, though the overprint itself was applied as an afterthought under occupation conditions — hardly the circumstances either institution would have chosen.