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25 Francs
| Issuer | Banque de la Guyane |
|---|---|
| Year | 1933-1945 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | Multicolour intaglio vignette with a female allegorical figure wearing a wreath at centre, flanked by floral drapery and a lower border of tropical fruit. The bank title and denomination appear in the surrounding letterpress frame, with the anti-counterfeiting penal warning inscribed along the lower margin. Five distinct signature varieties are known for this type. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Multicolour engraved vignette by Hourriez after Serveau's design, showing a tropical harbour scene framed by dense Guianese forest vegetation; a steam cargo vessel with rigging is moored at left, with a calm bay and distant mountains stretching across the centre. The numeral "25" appears in an ornate cartouche at upper right, while a blank serial-number panel occupies the right field, and the bank title "BANQUE DE LA GUYANE" is set in a ruled tablet at the lower margin. |
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| Comments |
The Banque de la Guyane was not an independent central bank but rather a colonial institution operating under close oversight from Paris, and these notes were effectively printed by the Banque de France as a convenience extension of French monetary infrastructure into French Guiana. Clément Serveau was a prolific designer of French colonial issues during this period, working across multiple territories simultaneously — his involvement here was routine assignment, not special commission.
The twelve-year date span across this single pick number reflects how slowly notes turned over in a colony with limited commercial activity and a small population. Individual notes within the series can sometimes be dated precisely by manuscript or stamped date.