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20 Dollars / 20 Piastres
| Issuer | Banque de l'Indo-Chine |
|---|---|
| Year | 1898 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Piastre (1880-1952) |
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| Obverse description | Tall elephant-column vignettes frame the left and right margins, while the bottom centre presents an allegorical composition of reclining female figures accompanied by an ox and a tiger. The bilingual title inscription appears in both English and French, with the issuer name across the top and denomination stated in both Dollars and Piastres. The engraved design is executed in fine intaglio line work after artwork by Bramtot and Duval. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | BANQUE DE L'INDO-CHINE HAIPHONG TWENTY DOLLARS VINGT PIASTRES TO BE PAID ON DEMAND TO BEARER PAYABLES EN ESPÈCES AU PORTEUR A. BRAMTOT ET G. DUVAL-FEC. CH.WULLSCHLEGER SC. |
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| Comments |
The Banque de l'Indo-Chine held a monopoly on note issue across French colonial Southeast Asia from its founding in 1875, renewed periodically under direct pressure from Paris. This 1898 plate design was engraved by Charles Wullschleger for the Parisian firm Giesecke & Devrient's French operations — an unusual pairing of German technical expertise with French colonial finance. Bramtot was a Prix de Rome laureate whose work appeared on French state bonds; Duval handled the ornamental engraving. Their collaboration on this series was a deliberate elevation of the note's aesthetic authority in markets where Chinese merchant networks still preferred silver coin.