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50 Francs Conakry
| Issuer | Banque de l'Afrique Occidentale |
|---|---|
| Year | 1920-1924 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 50 Francs |
| 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 |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | BANQUE DE L'AFRIQUE OCCIDENTALE Cinquante Francs PAYABLES EN ESPÈCES, A VUE, AU PORTEUR CONAKRY Le Président L'Administrateur-Directeur h.Bellery Desfontaines del. ERNEST ET FRÉDÉRIC FLORIAN SC. |
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| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
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| Protection type | Watermark |
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| Comments |
The Banque de l'Afrique Occidentale was a privately chartered colonial institution — not a central bank in any modern sense — empowered to issue currency across French West Africa from its Parisian base. Conakry, then the administrative capital of Guinée française, appears as the place of payment on the face, a designation that shaped the note's legal circulation zone rather than its physical origin.
Bellery-Desfontaines was primarily a poster artist and illustrator, an unusual choice for banknote design work, and his involvement here reflects the BAO's willingness to commission outside the standard engraving houses. The Florian brothers handled the intaglio translation — a father-and-son team with long ties to the Banque de France's printing operation.