Catalog
5 Francs
| Issuer | Services Nationaux Français des Nouvelles Hébrides |
|---|---|
| Year | 1943 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Paper |
| 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 | Printed in green letterpress on a dense underprint of repeated 'NOUVELLES HEBRIDES' text covering the entire field, the obverse centres a large numeral '5' enclosed within a laurel wreath, with the inscription 'BON CINQ Frs POUR: FRANCS' arranged around it. A Cross of Lorraine vignette appears at the top centre, flanked by the issuing authority legend, while two signature lines occupy the lower register above a boxed serial number panel inscribed 'CONTRÔLE DU FRANC NÉO-HÉBRIDAIS'. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse repeats the dense letterpress underprint of 'NOUVELLES HEBRIDES' text in green, with a central unprinted oval guilloche panel serving as a blank vignette space. The denomination numeral '5' and abbreviation 'Frs' appear symmetrically on either side of the oval, while the conjoined monogram 'N.H.' is set within an oval cartouche at the top centre. |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| 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 Services Nationaux Français des Nouvelles Hébrides was the Free French administrative authority established in the New Hebrides after the islands — a Franco-British condominium — declared for de Gaulle in July 1940, making them one of the first territories to do so. This note is among the earliest paper currency issued under Free French authority anywhere in the Pacific, produced locally under wartime conditions rather than by any established security printer.
The condominium's peculiar dual-sovereignty structure meant British colonial authorities were simultaneously present on the same islands. That the French side issued its own currency independently in 1943 reflects the administrative reality on the ground more than any formal monetary arrangement.