Catalog
50 Cents
| Issuer | Banque de l'Indo-Chine |
|---|---|
| Year | 1920 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 50 Cents (0.50 ICFP) |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
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| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | BANQUE DE L'INDO-CHINE 50 CENTS PAYABLES AU PORTEUR EN INDO-CHINE EN ESPÈCES G. FRAIPONT |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | DÉCRET DU 3 AVRIL 1901 ÉMISSION AUTORISÉE LE 6 OCTOBRE 1919 L'ARTICLE 139 DU CODE PÉNAL PUNIT DES TRAVAUX FORCÉS À PERPÉTUITÉ CEUX QUI AURONT CONTREFAIT OU FALSIFIÉ LES BILLETS DE BANQUE AUTORISÉES PAR LA LOI, AINSI QUE CEUX QUI AURONT FAIT USAGE DE CES BILLETS CONTREFAITS OU FALSIFIÉS. G. FRAIPONT CHAIX.PARIS |
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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.