100 Francs Dakar; overprint

The Banque de l'Afrique Occidentale was established in 1901 as the note-issuing authority for French West Africa, but this series predates that reorganization — the plates were inherited from the earlier Banque du Sénégal, which held the colonial privilege until its liquidation. The overprint specifying Dakar as the place of payment was the practical solution to converting an existing plate to the new institution's requirements rather than commissioning fresh engraving.

Dupuis and Léveillé were both attached to the Monnaie de Paris, which regularly supplied design and engraving talent to the Banque de France for colonial issues. The twenty-year date range on this type reflects a long uninterrupted print run with no major design revision — unusual longevity for a colonial note in a period of considerable administrative flux across French West Africa.