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500 Francs Kerguelenois
| Issuer | Kerguelen Islands (French Southern and Antarctic Lands) |
|---|---|
| Year | 2011 |
| Type | Fantasy banknote |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Large close-up vignette of a feral domestic cat at left, rendered in detailed watercolor style against a rocky Kerguelen landscape. To the right, a scenic vignette of cascading waterfalls amid basalt rock formations under a snow-capped volcanic peak. Signature of the Contrôleur Général appears at upper right. |
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| Signature(s) | John Hamilton |
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| Comments |
No central bank issued this note, no government authorized it, and no shop ever accepted it in payment. The Kerguelen Islands have no permanent civilian population — only a rotating scientific staff at Port-aux-Français — which makes the very concept of a circulating currency here absurd by design. These notes are best understood as souvenirs produced under the loose umbrella of "fantasy issues" that periodically attach themselves to French overseas territories with romantic geographic reputations and no mechanism to object.
The polymer substrate and the "John Hamilton" signature are recurring features across several such fantasy issues targeting collectors rather than any issuing authority's treasury.