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5 Francs
| Issuer | Banque de l'Indochine |
|---|---|
| Year | 1945 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | BANQUE DE L`INDOCHINE L`ARTICLE 139 DU CODE PÉNAL PUNIT DES TRAVAUX FORCÉS CEUX QUI AURONT CONTREFAIT OU FALSIFIÉ LES BILLET DE BANQUE AUTORISÉS PAR LA LOI 5 Fr. NOUMÉA CINQ FRANCS (Translation: Bank of Indochina Article 139 of the Penal Code punished by forced labor perpetuity of those who have counterfeit or falsified these vouchers as well as those who have made use. Noumea Five Francs) |
| Reverse description | Printed in dark blue and green, the reverse carries a vignette of the four-faced Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara tower from the Bayon Temple at Angkor, Cambodia, rendered in a fine engraved style. Issuer and denomination inscriptions appear in the border areas, with NOUMEA indicating the place of issue. |
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| Comments |
Banque de l'Indochine's wartime production pipeline was shattered by the Japanese occupation of France's Asian territories, forcing an unlikely arrangement: the Commonwealth Bank of Australia's Note Printing Branch in Melbourne stepped in to produce French Indochinese currency. It was an extraordinary piece of Allied monetary improvisation, born from the same logistical desperation that scattered currency printing across four continents during the war years.
The Melbourne-printed 5 Francs notes were intended for reintroduction following liberation, though the accelerating collapse of French authority in Indochina complicated distribution from the outset.