Catalog
50 Francs
| Issuer | Banque de l'Afrique Occidentale |
|---|---|
| Year | 1943-1954 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 50 Francs |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | 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 |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | 50 BANQUE DE L'AFRIQUE OCCIDENTALE 50 L'ARTICLE 139 DU CODE PÉNAL PUNIT DES TRAVAUX FORCÉS CEUX QUI AURONT CONTREFAIT OU FALSIFIÉ LES BILLETS DE BANQUES AUTORISÉES PAR LA LOI SÉB. LAURENT FEC. MAGD. TISON SC. (Translation: 50 BANK OF WEST AFRICA 50 ARTICLE 139 OF THE PENAL CODE PUNISHES WITH FORCED LABOR THOSE WHO COUNTERFEIT OR FALSIFY BANKNOTES AUTHORIZED BY LAW) |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | Portrait facing right |
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| Comments |
The Banque de l'Afrique Occidentale was the privileged issuing bank for French West Africa, and this series spans one of the more turbulent periods in that arrangement — wartime monetary disruption followed by the postwar reorganization that would eventually strip the BAO of its issuing role entirely by 1959. The 1943 start date reflects the resumption of Free France–aligned currency production after the disruptions of Vichy control over colonial finance.
Robert Armanelli was a prolific engraver at the Banque de France's printing works, where Sébastien Laurent also produced designs for multiple colonial series simultaneously. Magd. Tison's reverse engraving credit appears across several BAO denominations of the period.