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500 Francs
| Issuer | Banque de l'Indo-Chine |
|---|---|
| Year | 1927-1938 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 500 Francs |
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| Obverse description | Lilac-brown and olive intaglio-printed note with a classical allegorical standing female figure at left, laurel-crowned and draped in red, holding a branch, set against a harbour vignette with tall-masted sailing ships at top centre. A fruited wreath and agricultural implements occupy the right panel, with a guilloche underprint in the centre field bearing the large denomination numerals '500' at bottom. The issuer's title 'BANQUE DE L'INDO-CHINE' is inscribed in an ornate cartouche at the top, flanked by serial number and series indicators in the corners. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse lettering | L'ARTICLE 139 DU CODE PÉNAL PUNIT DES TRAVAUX FORCÉS A PERPÉTUITÉ CEUX QUI AURONT CONTREFAIT OU FALSIFIÉ CES BONS AINSI QUE CEUX QUI AURONT FAIT USAGE DE CES BONS CONTREFAITS OU FALSIFIÉS. G. FRAIPONT RITA SC. (Translation: Article 139 of the Penal Code punishes with forced labour in perpetuity those who have counterfeited or falsified these notes as well as those who have made use of such counterfeited or falsified notes.) |
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| Comments |
The Banque de l'Indo-Chine occupied a peculiar institutional position — chartered in Paris but functioning as a colonial central bank across French Indochina, issuing currency with legal tender status in Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and at various points in French India and the French Pacific territories. This note was produced at the Banque de France's workshops, which handled intaglio work for French colonial issuers throughout the interwar period.
Gustave Fraipont's involvement on both sides of the design — as designer of the obverse and engraver of the reverse — is unusual, and points to the overlapping roles common in that atelier. The reverse engraving credits Marguerite Dreyfus, known professionally as Rita, one of the few named female engravers working in French banknote production during this period.