Catalog
500 Francs
| Issuer | Banque de l'Afrique Occidentale |
|---|---|
| Year | 1946-1953 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | 175 x 110 mm |
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| Obverse description | Central vignette of an African woman in profile holding the staff of a large French tricolour flag, rendered in intaglio against a light guilloche underprint. Floral vine borders frame the left and right margins, and the denomination "CINQ CENTS FRANCS" appears in large letterpress type at lower left. Two signature lines for Le Président and Le Directeur Général are placed at right, alongside a printed date. |
|---|---|
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| Protection type | Watermark |
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| Comments |
The Banque de l'Afrique Occidentale served as the currency authority across French West Africa until the CFA franc zone reorganized colonial banking in the 1950s — this 500 Franc denomination sat at the upper end of what most ordinary commerce ever touched. Régnier on the obverse and Beltrand on the reverse was a division of labor common to Banque de France production, each engraver working his plate independently before the sheets were brought together.
Sébastien Laurent's design credit is relatively uncommon to see formally attributed in BAO issues of this period, which suggests the commission was handled differently from the usual anonymous house work at the Paris workshops.