Catalog
20 Piastres
| Issuer | Banque de l'Indo-Chine |
|---|---|
| Year | 1920 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The entire reverse is covered by an intricate intaglio-engraved composition centred on two confronting dragons coiling at the upper and lower margins, framing a dense central text panel rendered in Chinese characters. Four decorative cartouches at the corners contain additional Chinese inscription panels, while a guilloche-style repeating text underprint reading 'BANQUE DE L'INDO-CHINE' fills the background of the central field. |
| Reverse lettering | GEO. DUVAL fec. |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | Log in to see details |
| Variants | Log in to see details |
| Comments |
The Banque de l'Indo-Chine occupied an unusual position — a private French bank granted exclusive rights of issue across French Indochina, operating more like a colonial treasury than a commercial institution. The 1920 date places this note in the immediate postwar period, when piastre circulation was expanding rapidly to service the region's rubber and rice export boom.
Ruffe was among the more accomplished engravers working at the Banque de France print shop during this period, and the quality of intaglio work on the P#41 series reflects that. Duval's design commissions for colonial-issue notes were consistent throughout this era, though the degree to which he adapted designs versus recycled compositional templates varies by series.
Banque de France printing on colonial issues was not automatic — earlier Indo-Chine notes had been contracted elsewhere.