Catalog
500 Francs / 100 Ariary
| Issuer | Institut d'Émission Malgache |
|---|---|
| Year | 1964-1973 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | At left, a three-quarter-facing portrait of a young Malagasy woman is set within a floral vignette border, with a pastoral Madagascar landscape rendered in fine intaglio in the background. An ethnic decorative frame occupies the right side of the note. Denomination and issuer inscriptions appear in both French and Malagasy. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A coastal landscape of Madagascar stretches across the note, with tropical palm trees and other indigenous vegetation rendered in detailed intaglio engraving. A floral guilloche border frames the composition on all sides, with bilingual counter-counterfeiting warnings in French and Malagasy printed across the lower portion. |
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| Comments |
The Institut d'Émission Malgache was Madagascar's transitional issuing authority, established after independence in 1960 and eventually replaced by the Banque Centrale de la République Malgache in 1973 — which effectively sets the closing date for this series. The dual denomination reflects the 1961 introduction of the Ariary as a parallel unit equal to five Francs CFA, a deliberate step toward a distinctly Malagasy monetary identity without an immediate hard break from the franc zone.
Pierrette Lambert was among the relatively small circle of engravers working at the Banque de France's printing works in this period, and her credit appearing on a colonial-era successor issue is worth noting for researchers tracking her output.