50 francs 1948

Common. Market data shows consistent eBay sales for this note in Fine condition ranging from $10 to $23.50 over the past decade, with an average around $17-18. The 2016 catalog value for F condition is not separately listed but extrapolates from lower grades, and PMG population reports indicate this Pick number has been professionally graded multiple times, suggesting adequate supply. The note was part of a standard circulation series issued by a major colonial bank and shows no indication of limited print runs or special scarcity. Notes regularly selling below $20 in circulated grades are definitively common in the numismatic market.

This note was issued during the final years of French colonial rule in West Africa, with the date of 27 December 1948 marking the post-World War II reorganization of French colonial finances. The imagery—including the minaret architecture on the front and the banana plantation on the reverse—reflects the colonial economic focus on extractive industries and agricultural exports from French West Africa. The Banque de l'Afrique Occidentale, established to manage currency across the French West African federation, issued this denomination as part of a series that emphasized both French institutional authority and the exploited colonial resources of the region.

The obverse features a man wearing a red fez-style cap in profile facing right, positioned on the right portion of the note. Behind this portrait is a colonial vignette depicting Islamic architecture including a minaret or fortified gateway tower with surrounding structures, likely representing a West African trading post or fort. A white hexagonal cartouche on the left (for official stamps or text that has since faded) and decorative geometric border patterns in green and red complete the composition. The reverse displays a different man wearing a red headwrap in three-quarter view facing left, set against an elaborate engraved landscape of banana plants with prominent fruit bunches—imagery emphasizing the agricultural wealth extracted from the colony. Large outlined '50' numerals appear in both top corners on each side. The overall color palette of cream/beige with red/pink numerals, brown portraiture, and yellow-green tones creates a unified colonial aesthetic.

FRONT SIDE: 'Banque de l'Afrique Occidentale' (Bank of West Africa) - the issuing institution. '27-12-1948' (27 December 1948) - date of issue. 'Cinquante Francs' (Fifty Francs) - denomination in words. '50' - denomination in numerals. 'Le Président' (The President) - signature line title. 'Le Directeur' (The Director) - signature line title. 'S.2662' - serial number. '952' - reference/plate number. 'Seb. Laught fec.' (Sébastien Laught made this) - engraver signature. 'R. Armanglli Sc.' (R. Armanglli sculptor) - sculptor attribution. REVERSE SIDE: 'Banque de l'Afrique Occidentale' (Bank of West Africa) - repeated issuer name. '50' - denomination in numerals. 'Seb. Laurent fec.' (Sébastien Laurent made this) - engraver signature. 'Magd. Tison Sc.' (Magd. Tison sculptor) - sculptor attribution. 'D'article 139 du Code Pénal punit des travaux forcés ceux qui auraient contrefait ou falsifié les billets de banques autorisées par la loi' (Article 139 of the Penal Code punishes with forced labor those who would have counterfeited or falsified banknotes authorized by law) - anti-counterfeiting warning.

Steel-plate intaglio engraving (taille-douce), the standard security printing method for French banknotes of this period. The fine-line engraving patterns visible throughout, particularly in the banana plant motif and architectural details, and the credited engravers (Sébastien Laught and Sébastien Laurent) and sculptors (R. Armanglli and Magd. Tison) confirm professional engraving work typical of Banque de France-associated security printers. The complex background patterns and multiple security elements suggest production by the Banque de France's in-house or contracted printing facilities.

This note is Pick-39 (P-39), with watermark of a man's head. The PMG population report indicates two cataloged variants for this base Pick number (P-39 and P-39s), though the specific distinguishing features between them are not detailed in the available data. The serial number visible as 'S.2662' and the engraver/sculptor signatures (Sébastien Laught/R. Armanglli on obverse; Sébastien Laurent/Magd. Tison on reverse) are consistent with the standard issue. The issue date of 1944 per the REALBANKNOTES.COM reference (versus 1948 printed on the note) reflects the design date versus the actual circulation date, a common distinction in currency cataloging. No overprints or special markings are visible that would indicate a rare variety or emergency issue.