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5 Francs
| Issuer | Caisse Centrale de la France d'Outre-Mer |
|---|---|
| Year | 1944 |
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| Printer | Bradbury Wilkinson and Company, United Kingdom (1856-1990) |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Executed in red on a pale ground, the reverse carries the split issuer inscription 'CAISSE CENTRALE' at the top and 'DE LA FRANCE D'OUTRE-MER' at the foot, with large numeral '5' at each lateral margin within guilloche corner ornaments. The centre is occupied by a circular guilloche rosette enclosing an oval text panel reproducing Article 139 of the French Penal Code, which warns against counterfeiting, below which appears the ordonnance date '2 FEV 1949'. |
| Reverse lettering | CAISSE CENTRALE DE LA FRANCE D'OUTRE-MER 5 L'article 139 du Code Pénal punit des travaux forcés ceux qui auront contrefait ou falsifié les billets de Banques autorisées par la Loi ainsi que ceux qui auront fait usage de ces billets contrefaits ou falsifiés. ORDONNANCE du 2 FEV 1949 |
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| Comments |
The Caisse Centrale de la France d'Outre-Mer was established by de Gaulle's provisional government in 1944 specifically to issue currency across liberated and overseas French territories — a direct counter to both Vichy-affiliated notes and the Allied Military Currency that Washington had unilaterally prepared for France. This 5 Francs belongs to that first wave of emission, politically charged from inception.
Despite the Bradbury Wilkinson credit, the notes were printed in New York — the firm was operating under wartime displacement arrangements. The distinction matters for provenance and for understanding why certain sheets show minor ink characteristics inconsistent with the company's London production norms.