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5 Francs
| Issuer | Banque de la Martinique |
|---|---|
| Year | 1942-1944 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Printer | E. A. Wright Bank Note Company, Philadelphia, United States (1872-1964) |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Printed entirely in blue, the reverse centres on a large intricate guilloche medallion encircling an oval portrait vignette of a classical female head in profile, surrounded by a laurel wreath. The inscription BANQUE DE LA MARTINIQUE arcs around the upper portion of the central medallion, while the numeral 5 appears in bold at each lateral margin against a fine lathe-work background. The printer's imprint is visible at the bottom edge. |
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| Variants | P#16a - red serial # P#16b(1) - blue serial # P#16b(2) - blue serial # P#16b(3) - blue serial # |
| Comments |
The Banque de la Martinique's wartime emergency issues were a direct consequence of the Fall of France in 1940. Martinique, under the Vichy-aligned Admiral Robert, was cut off from metropolitan French banking supply chains and subject to an Allied naval blockade — making new note production through traditional French sources impossible. The island turned to American printers, and E. A. Wright of Philadelphia supplied several denominations across this period.
The blockade also created severe hoarding, meaning these notes circulated hard in a cash-starved economy. Worn examples are the rule, not the exception.