10 francs 1950

Common. The 1950 10 Francs Saint Pierre & Miquelon (Pick P-23) was issued in substantial quantities for circulation in the territory and remains readily available in the collector market today. The series was not recalled, and the issuing authority remained stable. While this specific PMG 67 EPQ example represents an exceptional condition specimen that commands a premium over circulated copies, the underlying note type itself is not scarce. High-grade examples are desirable but not difficult to locate.

Issued by the Caisse Centrale de la France d'Outre-Mer (Central Treasury of Overseas France) in 1950, this note reflects the post-WWII reorganization of French colonial finances. The obverse portrait depicts Jean-Baptiste Colbert, the 17th-century French statesman whose mercantilist policies and colonial administration shaped France's overseas territories, making him an appropriate symbolic figure for Saint Pierre & Miquelon, which had been a French possession since the 1630s. The reverse landscape vignette with grapes, peaches, and maritime scenes evokes the islands' agricultural and fishing heritage.

The obverse features a left-facing portrait of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, identifiable by his characteristic long curled hair and 17th-century formal dress with ornate lace collar—rendered in classical portrait style. The right side depicts multiple sailing ships on water, symbolizing France's maritime colonial expansion. The note employs a cream/beige field with blue borders and large denomination numerals in decorative rectangular frames. The reverse presents a pastoral harvest scene framing a maritime landscape: flowering grape vines on the right and peach/fruit trees on the left flank a central composition of water with a small vessel and distant mountains or shoreline. Geometric border patterns with X-designs in blue and brown frame the composition. Both sides employ designers P. Munier and engravers Hourriez and A. Chapon respectively.

FRONT SIDE: 'SAINT-PIERRE-ET-MIQUELON' (Saint Pierre and Miquelon); 'DIX FRANCS' (Ten Francs); 'CAISSE CENTRALE DE LA FRANCE D'OUTRE-MER' (Central Treasury of Overseas France); 'LE DIRECTEUR GÉNÉRAL' (The General Director); 'COLBERT' (portrait identification); 'P. MUNIER FEC.' (designed by P. Munier); 'HOURRIEZ SC' (engraved by Hourriez); Serial number '100390183' and designation 'D.41'. REVERSE SIDE: 'SAINT-PIERRE-ET-MIQUELON' (repeated); 'CAISSE CENTRALE DE LA FRANCE D'OUTRE-MER' (Central Treasury of Overseas France); 'P. MUNIER FEC.' (designed by P. Munier); 'A. CHAPON SC.' (engraved by A. Chapon); 'L'ARTICLE 139 DU CODE PÉNAL PUNIT DES TRAVAUX FORCÉS CEUX QUI AURONT CONTREFAIT OU FALSIFIÉ LES BILLETS DE BANQUE AUTORISÉS SUR LE TERRITOIRE' (Article 139 of the Penal Code punishes with hard labor those who counterfeit or falsify banknotes authorized on the territory).

Intaglio (copperplate engraving) printing, characteristic of high-security banknote production of this era. The visual analysis confirms fine-line engraving detail, color separation through multi-plate intaglio process, and the depth and precision typical of mid-20th-century French state banknote printing. The Caisse Centrale de la France d'Outre-Mer employed the Banque de France's printing standards and likely contracted with the French state security printer.

The note exhibits the standard watermark of a sailing ship as catalogued under Pick P-23. The PMG population report identifies two variants (P-23 and P-23s), though the distinction between them is not elaborated in the provided data. This specimen displays serial number 100390183 with designation D.41. No signature variants, overprints, or significant printing anomalies are evident from the visual analysis. The designers P. Munier and engravers Hourriez (obverse) and A. Chapon (reverse) are consistent with the standard issue.