Catalog
50 Francs Saint-Louis
| Issuer | Banque de l'Afrique Occidentale |
|---|---|
| Year | 1905-1916 |
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| Value | 50 Francs |
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| Obverse description | A scenic tropical vignette spans the full width of the note, with a large elephant and palm trees at left and a massive baobab tree at right, flanking a central blank oval reserve for the stamp or date. The denomination '50' appears in each corner, with the issuing authority BANQUE DE L'AFRIQUE OCCIDENTALE and value CINQUANTE FRANCS in bold letterpress across the upper centre. Three signature lines for Un Administrateur, Le Directeur, and Le Caissier appear below the place name SAINT-LOUIS, with the engravers' credit h.Bellery Desfontaines del. and ERNEST ET FRÉDÉRIC FLORIAN sc. in the lower margins. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse is entirely composed of an intricate geometric and arabesque design rendered in blue, with ornate interlocking medallions and lattice-work borders in the Islamic decorative tradition. Arabic script inscriptions are arranged in multiple panels across the central field and within the surrounding borders, giving the denomination and bank name in Arabic. The lower left margin bears the engraver's credit Georges DUVAL . fecit. |
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| Comments |
The Banque de l'Afrique Occidentale was established in 1901 with exclusive note-issuing rights across French West Africa, a mandate that made this series the primary circulating paper across an enormous and economically diverse colonial territory. Having the Banque de France handle production was a deliberate political signal — these were not colonial scrip but instruments meant to carry metropolitan authority into Dakar, Saint-Louis, and beyond.
Bellery-Desfontaines was primarily a poster artist and illustrator, an unusual choice for currency design. The Florian brothers — Frédéric and Ernest-Théophile — were established Banque de France engravers, their involvement guaranteeing the intaglio quality that distinguished this issue from cheaper colonial printings of the period.
Saint-Louis, Senegal was the administrative capital of French West Africa until 1902, when Dakar took over — meaning the note's name referenced a city that had already lost its primacy before most of these notes were printed.