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2 Francs Banque André Krajewski
| Issuer | Banque André Krajewski |
|---|---|
| Year | 1920 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | Printed in orange, the obverse carries a central vignette of a seated allegorical woman holding a branch, with a decorative frame enclosing the denomination numeral at the lower left. The issuer's name and place of issue are set in bold letterpress across the note, accompanied by the printer's imprint at the lower margin. Guilloche underprint patterns fill the background. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Printed entirely in orange, the reverse is dominated by an intricate geometric guilloche pattern composed of interlocking foliate and lobe-shaped elements radiating from a central oval cartouche bearing the denomination "2F" in large numerals. Two smaller matching cartouches flanking the centre repeat the "2F" denomination, and the overall design relies entirely on fine lathe-work ornamentation without any figurative vignette. |
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| Comments |
André Krajewski operated a private commercial bank in Papeete, French Polynesia, issuing small-denomination notes to ease the chronic coin shortage that plagued the territory throughout the early twentieth century. Having notes printed in San Francisco rather than France was a practical choice — A. Carlisle & Co. was the nearest competent commercial printer to Tahiti, and wartime disruptions had made correspondence with metropolitan printers slow and unreliable.
Krajewski's private issues circulated alongside official French colonial currency by local acceptance rather than legal mandate. The bank itself was a modest trading-house operation, and P#10 sits at the top of the series denominations — the 2 Franc note was the largest Krajewski issued.