2018-02-16 Fri

French Polynesia is a set of dispersed island stretching two thousand miles across the southern Pacific Ocean. It was an Overseas Collectively of the French Republic. The currency that circulated in these islands was known as Franc, the denominations of Anglo-French condominium of the Pacific Islands group of the New Hebrides. This currency was circulated along with British and later Australian currency.

The first banknote of this nation was introduced in 1921, a 25 franc. In 1941, the free French forces introduced paper money again in the New Hebrides. New Hebrides was officially known as the New Hebrides Condominium. Its colonial name was 'Hebrides Scottish archipelago'. Today it is known as the nation of Vanuatu.

The above-shown note is New Hebrides 100 CFP Pacific Francs banknotes of 1970-1977. It was issued by the Institute for Emissions in the Overseas Departments. The obverse of this note depicts a Tahitian girl wearing Tiare flowers and playing the guitar with the background view of the airport and port Papeete and Moorea islands with Sommet Tohiea.

The reverse side of this note depicts a portrait of a Polynesian girl surrounded with flowers and a bird’s eye view of Papeete in the centre with overprints of “Nouvelles-Hebrides’’ in script letters printed on the left bottom.

The franc denomination was replaced at par by Vatu due to the newly formed independent state of Vanuatu. At that time the Australian dollar also ceased to be officially circulated.

Image Courtesy: Worldbanknotescoin.com.