Banknote Billet New Hebrides 25 francs 1921

This 25 franc banknote was issued by the Comptoirs Français in the New Hebrides, and bears the date of 22 August 1921. The New Hebrides were at the time a Franco-British condominium, a territory now known as Vanuatu, located in the South Pacific Ocean. In this particular colonial context, the Comptoirs Français played an essential banking and commercial role, especially with regard to local currency circulation.

The banknote bears the mention « Annulé » (Cancelled), indicating that it was officially withdrawn from monetary circulation by the issuing authority. This cancellation could be materialised by a perforation, a handwritten or printed overprint, or a stamp affixed directly to the note. A cancelled banknote nonetheless retains significant documentary and historical value, bearing witness to the administrative and financial practices of the French colonial era in the Pacific.

From a historical perspective, banknotes issued in 1921 in this region of the Pacific are particularly rare, due to the low production volumes linked to the limited size of the local population and economy. The interwar period corresponds to a phase of progressive organisation of financial structures in French overseas territories, making these issues all the more noteworthy for specialists in colonial numismatics.

The face value of 25 francs represented an intermediate denomination within the monetary system in force on the territory. Banknotes from the Comptoirs Français of the New Hebrides from this period are today considered rare fiduciary documents, sought after by collectors specialising in French colonial numismatics and Pacific monetary history. The example presented here constitutes a tangible testament to the economic and monetary organisation of this territory at the beginning of the 20th century.