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50 Cents
| Issuer | Banque de l'Indo-Chine |
|---|---|
| Year | 1920 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | The obverse is printed in red on cream paper, dominated by the large central denomination numeral '50 Cents' within a guilloche-bordered rectangular frame. The bank title 'BANQUE DE L'INDO-CHINE' appears in an upper cartouche flanked by ornamental Indochinese architectural column vignettes. Signature lines for 'Un Administrateur' and 'L'Administrateur Directeur' appear below the central text, with the engraver's signature 'G. FRAIPONT' at the lower left. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse is printed in red, with two confronted dragons in high relief forming the main decorative vignette across the upper portion, flanking the circular monogram of the Banque de l'Indo-Chine at centre top. The denomination '50' appears in each of the four corners within ornamental frames, and handstamped Chinese and Vietnamese denomination overprints appear over the central legal text. |
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| Comments |
Banque de l'Indo-Chine's small-denomination fractional notes of 1920 were a direct response to a severe coin shortage that afflicted French Indochina during and after the First World War, when metallic currency drained out of circulation and never fully returned. The 50 Centimes filled a gap the colonial monetary system had no other means to address.
Gustave Fraipont was primarily a poster artist and illustrator — his involvement in both design and engraving here is unusual for a colonial banking issue, which more typically passed through specialist security printers like Bradbury Wilkinson or the Banque de France's own workshops. Imprimerie Chaix, better known for railway timetables and theatrical posters, was an unconventional choice for fiduciary paper.