Catalog
50 Francs
| Issuer | Banque de la République de Guinée |
|---|---|
| Year | 1958 |
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| Printer | Státní Tiskárna Cenin, Prague, Czech Republic (1953-date) |
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| Obverse description | Intaglio portrait of a young Guinean man wearing a traditional embroidered cap at left, set against a fine guilloche underprint in orange-brown tones. To the right, the denomination "CINQUANTE FRANCS" is printed in large letterpress text above the date "LE 2 OCTOBRE 1958" and two facsimile signatures with their respective titles. Denomination numeral "50" appears in corner cartouches and at the bottom centre within a guilloche panel, with the bank name "BANQUE DE LA RÉPUBLIQUE DE GUINÉE" inscribed along the upper border. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Central vignette of a traditional African ceremonial helmet mask rendered in fine intaglio engraving, set within an elaborate radiating guilloche pattern against an orange-brown background. Denomination numeral "50" appears in corner cartouches and in a panel at the lower centre below the mask vignette. The inscription "CINQUANTE FRANCS" is displayed in a banner along the bottom edge. |
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| Comments |
Guinea's first independent banknote series — issued following the September 1958 referendum in which Guinea voted overwhelmingly against de Gaulle's proposed French Community, becoming the only territory to do so — was produced not in Paris but in Prague. The break with France was immediate and total: French technical assistance was withdrawn within months, and the new republic turned to the Eastern Bloc for practical support, including currency printing.
Státní Tiskárna Cenin had extensive experience printing notes for socialist and non-aligned governments during this period. The choice of printer was as much political as logistical.