Catalog
5 Roupies / Rupees
| Issuer | Banque de l'Indochine |
|---|---|
| Year | 1937-1946 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | L`ARTICLE DU CODE CRIMINEL PEINE LES TRAVAUX FORCÉS QUI SERONT CONTREFAITS OU FAUX LES BILLETS AUTORISÉS PAR LA LOE. SÉB. LAURENT E. DELOCHE SC (Translation: THE ARTICLE OF THE CRIMINAL CODE PUNISHES FORCED LABOUR THOSE WHO SHALL COUNTERFEIT OR FALSIFY THE BANKNOTES AUTHORIZED BY THE LAW.) |
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| Reverse lettering | புதுவை ௫ ஐந்து ரூபாய்கள் இந்து சீனத்து பாங்க் SÉB. LAURENT E. DELOCHE SC |
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| Comments |
Banque de l'Indochine issued rupee-denominated notes for its Pondicherry operations — the French colonial enclaves on the southeastern Indian coast where the rupee, not the piastre, was the functional currency. This series bridged a particularly turbulent administrative period: French India passed from Vichy authority to Free French control during World War II, and notes from across the full 1937–1946 date range circulated under very different political conditions without any visible change to the design.
Ernest Deloche's engraving work for the Banque de France was consistently fine-line, and this note reflects that. Laurent designed several colonial issues of the period for the same printer.