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5 Francs
| Issuer | Compagnie de la Nouvelle-Calédonie |
|---|---|
| Year | 1874 |
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| Printer | Imprimerie Chaix, Paris, France (1845-1965) |
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| Obverse description | A black oval seal appears to the left of the central promissory text, which reads the obligation payable on sight and to bearer for five francs, dated 10 January 1874 at Nouméa. Two manuscript or printed signatures appear at the bottom, with the denomination numeral 5 repeated in the lower corners within circular cartouches. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | SUCCURSALE DE NOUMÉA A COMPAGNIE DE LA NOUVELLE-CALÉDONIE / BANQUE Il sera payé à vue et au porteur CINQ FRANCS★ NOUMEA, le 10 JANVIER, 1874 5 5 A. CHAIX ET Cie (Translation: Noumea Branch New Caledonia Company / Bank It will be paid on sight and to bearer Five Francs Noumea, January 10, 1874 A. Chaix and Company) |
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| Comments |
The Compagnie de la Nouvelle-Calédonie was a colonial trading company granted commercial privileges in the territory during the early years of French settlement — and like several such enterprises operating far from metropolitan oversight, it resorted to issuing its own fractional notes when coin shortages made daily commerce impractical. This 5 Francs note from 1874 is among the earliest paper issues associated with New Caledonia, predating any formal colonial banking infrastructure on the island by years.
Imprimerie Chaix was a respected Parisian commercial printer better known for railway timetables and illustrated periodicals than for currency work, which likely reflects the provisional, quasi-official nature of this emission rather than any deliberate institutional choice.