Catalog
500 Francs
| Issuer | Banque Centrale de la République de Guinée |
|---|---|
| Year | 1960 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 500 Francs |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | A large central vignette rendered in blue intaglio illustrates a coastal beach scene with two long dugout canoes drawn up on the shore, attended by two figures; a palm-lined coast and a steam vessel on the water appear in the middle distance beneath a clouded sky. The denomination numeral 500 is printed in the lower corners, and the note is framed by an elaborate guilloche border with geometric rosette patterns at the upper corners. |
| Reverse lettering | CINQ CENTS FRANCS 500 |
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| Comments |
Guinea's 1960 independence from France left its monetary system in immediate disarray. The country had withdrawn from the CFA franc zone in 1960 under Sékou Touré, an abrupt break that required a functioning currency almost overnight. Thomas De La Rue was the printer of choice for newly independent African states throughout this period, handling several such emergency commissions simultaneously.
The P#14 is scarce in any grade — early Guinean notes circulated heavily in an economy with few banking alternatives, and the humid West African climate was not kind to paper stock of this vintage.