This November 2015 in Baltimore at our Official Auction of the Whitman Coin & Collectibles Expo we will offer a large size 1942 1000 Franc Specimen from French Guiana. The note is graded PMG 66 EPQ, displays fantastic margins and appears exceptional for the grade.
The specimen overprint and serial numbers are printed by E.A. Wright. This note features three punch cancels at the signature panels. The extremely large format was likely intended for bank-to-bank transactions rather than as a circulating medium. On the face, rich green color is seen on the vignettes of women seated at left and right facing inward. The bank name Banque de la Guyane is repeated continuously in underprinting. The back design shares a similar layout with an ornate border in brown and light brown underprints. We sold another example as lot 2086 in our January 2015 NYINC sale where it realized $5,581.
The Stack’s Bowers Galleries Official Auction of the Whitman Coin & Collectibles Expo will take place November 5-8, 2015, in Baltimore, Maryland. They are currently accepting consignments for their 2016 auction season. To include your items, contact a consignment director at 800-458-4646 or visit their website at StacksBowers.com.
By Aris Maragoudakis, Currency Specialist