Catalog
500 Francs
| Issuer | Banque de la République de Guinée |
|---|---|
| Year | 1958 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | BANQUE DE LA RÉPUBLIQUE DE GUINÉE CINQ CENTS FRANCS LE 2 OCTOBRE 1958 MINISTRE DE L'ÉCONOMIE GÉNÉRALE MINISTRE DES FINANCES TOUT CONTREFACTEUR SERA PUNI PAR LA LOI EN VIGUEUR BANQUE DE LA RÉPUBLIQUE DE GUINÉE |
| Reverse description | Central vignette of an extensive pineapple plantation rendered in fine intaglio line work, with rows of pineapple plants converging to a central vanishing point and a tropical landscape of palms and trees under a clouded sky in the background. The design is printed entirely in red on white paper, framed by guilloche borders with denomination numeral 500 in corner cartouches. The inscription CINQ CENTS FRANCS appears in a panel at the base of the note. |
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| Comments |
Guinea's 500 Francs of 1958 is among the earliest issues of the newly independent republic — Guinea having broken sharply from the French Community in October 1958 following Sékou Touré's defiant "non" to de Gaulle's referendum. France responded by withdrawing all financial and administrative support almost immediately, which forced Guinea to establish its own monetary infrastructure at speed and look beyond the franc zone for partners.
The choice of Státní Tiskárna Cenin in Prague reflects that political rupture directly. With Western European printers effectively unavailable, Guinea turned to Czechoslovakia — one of several Eastern Bloc relationships Touré cultivated in those early years.