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500 Francs
| Issuer | Banque de la Guyane |
|---|---|
| Year | 1942 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Printer | E. A. Wright Bank Note Company, Philadelphia, United States (1872-1964) |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Red on light underprint. Central vignette of the Caravelle Santa Maria under sail, flanked by denomination numerals '500' on either side within ornate guilloche panels. 'BANQUE DE LA GUYANE' inscribed at top; 'CINQ CENTS FRANCS' in bold lettering below the vignette. Anti-counterfeiting notice in small text at foot. |
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| Variants | P#14a - Signature: Censeur Collat. P#14b - Signature: Censeur St. Clair. |
| Comments |
Banque de la Guyane's wartime issues present a peculiar geopolitical situation: French Guiana remained under Vichy authority until mid-1943, meaning notes issued in 1942 circulated under a colonial administration nominally aligned with German-occupied France, even as the printing was contracted to a Philadelphia firm. That the United States was simultaneously at war with the Axis makes the arrangement quietly remarkable.
E. A. Wright was primarily a security printer known for stock certificates and bonds rather than a major banknote house — its selection for this series reflects disrupted access to European printers rather than any particular preference.