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2 Francs
| Issuer | Chambre de Commerce des Établissements Français de l'Océanie |
|---|---|
| Year | 1919 |
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| Currency | Franc (1919-1944) |
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| Obverse description | Plain tan cardboard note with all text printed in black letterpress. The denomination "2 fr. Deux francs." is set in large bold type at centre, below the issuing authority's name and the arrêté date of 29 December 1919. Series letter "SÉRIE A." appears at upper right and repeated at lower left, with the handwritten serial number at upper left and lower right. Two manuscript signatures appear at the foot, captioned "Le Secrétaire," and "Le Président," respectively. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | CHAMBRE DE COMMERCE DES ÉTABLISSEMENTS FRANÇAIS DE L'OCÉANIE Arrêté du 29 Décembre 1919. Deux francs. Remboursable à vue en Billets de la Banque de l'Indo-Chine SÉRIE A. (Translation: Chamber of Commerce of the French Establishments in Oceania Order of 29 December 1919 Two francs Reimbursable at sight in Bank of Indochina banknotes Series A.) |
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| Comments |
French Oceania's chambres de commerce emergency issues of 1919 fill a specific gap: the First World War had disrupted metropolitan coin shipments so severely that local commercial chambers across France's Pacific territories were authorized to produce their own low-denomination cardboard substitutes. The Établissements Français de l'Océanie — centered on Papeete, Tahiti — issued several denominations in this series, and the cardboard composition was a deliberate choice of available material rather than improvisation, with the notes printed locally rather than supplied from France.
Cardboard deteriorates quickly in a tropical environment. Surviving examples in any reasonable condition are genuinely uncommon, and corner splits and moisture damage are endemic to the type.