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5 Dollars / 5 Piastres
| Issuer | Banque de l'Indo-Chine |
|---|---|
| Year | 1897-1900 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | A classical allegorical vignette at left centre presents a reclining Neptune figure holding a trident, surrounded by attendant figures in an Academic style engraving. The denomination is printed in both English and French — FIVE DOLLARS and CINQ PIASTRES — flanking a central dividing ornament, with bilingual payment obligations below each. The note bears the Saigon branch date of 5 October 1900 at upper centre, with serial number and branch letter in the upper corners and lower left, and two manuscript signature panels beneath the denomination text. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse is dominated by an elaborate guilloche border enclosing multiple horizontal bands of Chinese script text, printed in a pale intaglio underprint. Engraved dragon vignettes appear at the left and right margins, framing the Chinese-language text panels. The engraver's credit line appears in the lower left margin, with additional text panels in Chinese characters repeated across the full width of the note. |
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| Comments |
The Banque de l'Indo-Chine was chartered in 1875 with the exclusive right to issue currency across French Indochina, and this late-19th-century issue belongs to a period when the bank was simultaneously operating in the Pacific territories — hence the dual denomination, with piastres for Indochina and dollars for the Établissements français de l'Océanie and New Caledonia. One note, two monetary systems, two colonial administrations.
Bramtot was a Prix de Rome laureate; Wullschleger engraved for the Banque de France. The pedigree of the production team reflects how seriously Paris treated colonial currency credibility at the time.