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2 Francs
| Issuer | Trésorerie de Nouméa |
|---|---|
| Year | 1943 |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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| Obverse description | Printed in brown on cream paper, the obverse carries a central vignette of the Nouméa harbour with industrial cranes, ore-processing buildings and conical stockpiles rendered in a simple line-art style. The denomination '2 F.' appears in bold black numerals within plain cartouches at upper left and upper right, while 'DEUX FRANCS' is lettered across a central oval reserve. Two manuscript signatures appear below the vignette — that of Le Gouverneur at lower left above the place name 'Nouméa', and that of Le Trésorier-Payeur at lower right — with the issue date 'le 29 mars 1943' printed below the latter. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Printed in brown on cream paper, the reverse is dominated by a central vignette of a deer's head with large antlers, behind which rises the Cross of Lorraine — emblem of the Free French forces. A floral and leaf border frames the entire design. A legal warning text occupying a rectangular panel at lower left cites Article 139 of the Penal Code against counterfeiting, while a denomination panel at right reads 'TRÉSOR / 2 F. / NOUMÉA'. The arrêté date 'ARRÊTÉ DU 29 JANVIER 1943' is printed at the foot of the central vignette. |
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| Comments |
Nouméa's wartime emergency issues of 1943 were produced under Free French authority after New Caledonia's pivotal decision in September 1940 to side with de Gaulle — one of the first French territories to do so. The Trésorerie de Nouméa, rather than any metropolitan or colonial banking institution, issued these notes precisely because normal supply lines from France were severed and the existing note stock was inadequate for an island now hosting substantial Allied military presence.
The series is notoriously fragile. Heavy circulation in a tropical humid environment, combined with wartime paper quality, means genuinely sound survivors are far less common than catalog frequency suggests.