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2 Francs
| Issuer | Établissements Français Libres de l'Océanie |
|---|---|
| Year | 1942 |
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| Currency | Franc (1919-1944) |
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|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | BON DE CAISSE DES ÉTABLISSEMENTS FRANÇAIS LIBRES DE L'OCÉANIE DEUX FRANCS Arrêté Nº 300 A.G.F. du 7 avril 1942. PAR G. REBOUL-SALZE IMPRIMERIE JEAN C. FERRAND (Translation: Cash Voucher of the Free French Establishments of Oceania Two Francs Order No. 300 A.G.F. of 7 April 1942. By G. Reboul-Salze, Printing House Jean C. Ferrand) |
| Reverse description | Printed in black on plain paper, the reverse bears the full legal guarantee text of the Colony of the Free French Establishments of Oceania, set in letterpress across the face of the note. The Cross of Lorraine shield appears at the centre, flanked by the text columns. The serial number and series letter are printed at the lower left and right margins. |
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| Comments |
Printed in Papeete rather than metropolitan France, this note is a product of genuine administrative isolation. After France fell in June 1940, French Oceania declared for the Free French under de Gaulle within weeks — one of the first overseas territories to do so — which immediately severed the normal supply chain for currency. The Ferrand press in Papeete, a commercial operation never designed for banknote production, became the only viable option.
The result is a note technically modest by any central-bank standard, which is precisely what makes it historically significant. Ferrand printed several denominations across this wartime series, all bearing the "Établissements Français Libres" title that openly declared political allegiance on the face of the currency itself.