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500 Francs
| Issuer | Banque de la Martinique |
|---|---|
| Year | 1905-1922 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | Printed in orange-brown tones on plain paper, the note presents a classical allegorical composition with standing female figures flanking the central text panel on left and right borders, above a frieze of putti in the lower margin. Two circular guilloche medallions are positioned symmetrically within the border frame. The central field carries the bank name, promissory clause, and denomination in letterpress, with signature lines for the Director and Cashier at the foot of the text block. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | BANQUE de la MARTINIQUE IL SERA PAYE EN ESPÈCE, A VUE, AU PORTEUR cinq cents francs. Le Directeur Le Caissier J. BARRE (Translation: Bank of Martinique It will be paid in cash, at sight, to bearer Five Hundred Francs. The Director. The Cashier.) |
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| Comments |
The Banque de la Martinique was one of the four colonial privilege banks established by French imperial decree in the 1850s, each granted a note-issuing monopoly over a specific territory. This 500 Francs is among the higher denominations of a series that saw extraordinarily long print runs — the same plate designs circulated across decades with minimal modification, which is precisely why dates spanning nearly twenty years appear on notes of otherwise identical appearance.
Jacques-Jean Barre died in 1855, meaning any note crediting his work draws on engraving done half a century before these notes were actually issued. The plates were inherited, not recommissioned.