Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
5000 Francs Emergency bearer check
| Issuer | Banque de l'Indochine |
|---|---|
| Year | 1939 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | P#41 |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Billet nº S.A.E. B.P. Frs 5000- BANQUE DE L'INDOCHINE SOCIÉTÉ ANONYME AU CAPITAL DE 120.000.000 DE FRANCS Payer contingence billet Cinq mille francs au porteur NOUMÉA, le sept septembre 1939. SUCCURSALE DE NOUMÉA PAYABLE A LA BANQUE DE L'INDOCHINE NOUMÉA 東方滙理銀行 (Translation: Banknote nº Frs 5000 Bank of Indochina Société Anonyme with capital of 120,000,000 Francs Pay contingency banknote Five thousand francs to the bearer Noumea, September 7, 1939. Noumea Branch Payable to the Bank of Indochina Noumea) |
| Reverse description | The reverse presents plain light blue paper with a fine guilloche underprint across the entire surface. Two hand-stamped 'ANNULE' cancellations in black are applied diagonally, accompanied by four circular punch-hole cancellations distributed across the field, consistent with standard invalidation practice. No additional vignettes or printed design elements appear on this side. |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | Log in to see details |
| Variants | Log in to see details |
| Comments |
Banque de l'Indochine issued these emergency bearer checks in 1939 as a direct response to wartime coin shortages — specifically the hoarding of silver that spiked across Indochina following the outbreak of war in Europe. They are not banknotes in the strict sense; legally they functioned as demand instruments drawn on the bank itself, a distinction that mattered for redemption purposes but was largely lost on the public using them.
The 5000 Francs denomination made this a high-value commercial instrument, not something that passed through ordinary retail hands. Surviving examples tend to show minimal wear for that reason.