165) Coinage of the French Polynesian Island of New Caledonia (or
Nouvelle-Caledonie in French) – the CFP Franc:
About French Polynesia:
French Polynesia (or Polynesie francaise in French) or Porinetia
Farani in the local language is an overseas collectivity of the
French Republic (collectivite d’outre-Mer de la Republique francaise in French). It is composed of 118 geographically dispersed islands and atolls
stretching over an expanse of more than 2000 sq. kms or 1245 miles in the South
Pacific Ocean, of which, the 118 islands and 67 atolls are inhabited.
It is divided into 5 groups of islands – the Society Islands Archipelago
composed of the Windward Islands, the Tuamotu Archipelago, the Gambier Islands,
the Marquesas Islands and the Austral Islands. The most famous island Tahiti is
the most populated and the seat of the capital of the collectivity – Papeete.
The main source of revenue is tourism and the cultivation of noni fruit
for the pharmaceutical industry.
Captain Cook visited Tahiti in 1769, naming the Archipelago the
Society Islands and Captain Bligh of the Bounty spent some time there in
1788 gathering breadfruit plants which were taken to the West Indies to
provide food for plantation slave labour.
In 1842, the French took over the islands and established a
French protectorate called “Etablissements des francais en Oceanie (EFO),
meaning “French Establishments/Settlements in Oceania”. In 1957, the EFOs were
renamed French Polynesia.
Since 28.03.2003, French Polynesia has been an overseas
collectivity of the French Republic.
New Caledonia (or Nouvelle-Caledonie):
This is a special collectivity of France located in Southwest Pacific Ocean, about 1210 kms or 750 miles East of Australia. The total land area is about 18576 sq kms.
This is a special collectivity of France located in Southwest Pacific Ocean, about 1210 kms or 750 miles East of Australia. The total land area is about 18576 sq kms.
The Archipelago is a part of the Melanesia sub region, and includes the
main island of Grande Terre (or “Le Caillou”), the Loyalty Islands, the
Chesterfield Islands, the Belep Archipelago, the Isle of Pines and some remote
islets. The capital of the Territory is Noumea.
Captain Cook visited the Archipelago in 1774 who gave the
Archipelago its English name drawing from a name used by Scottish poets.
The Archipelago is divided into three provinces – South Province
or “Province Sud” (Province capital – Noumea), North Province or “Province
Nod” (Province capital Kone) and Loyalty Islands Province or “Province
des iles Loyaute” The population of New Caledonia is about 260000 and
consists of the Kanak people (original inhabitants of New Caledonia),
descendants of Europeans (Caldoches and Metropolitan French), Polynesians
(mostly Wallisians) and descendants of Southeast Asia and Algeria.
On 24.09.1853, this Area became a French Dependency when under
orders from Napoleon III, the French took possession of New Caledonia and Port-de-France
or Noumea was made its capital. New Caledonia became a French penal colony from
the 1860s to 1897.
In 1946, New Caledonia became an Overseas Territory.
By 1953, French citizenship was granted to all New Caledonians,
regardless of ethnicity.
French Polynesian Franc coins:
The CFP Franc is the currency of French Polynesia subdivided into 100 centimes.
Until 1914, the French Franc circulated in French Polynesia.
In 1945, the CFP Franc was introduced.
In 1949, coins in the denominations of 50 centimes, 1 and 2
Francs (both Aluminium) were circulated were issued for French Oceania (Etablisements
Francais de l’Oceanie as the colony was known then).
In 1952, 5 Franc aluminium coins were introduced.
From 1965, the name French Polynesia (Polynesie
francaise) has been used.
In 1967, 10, 20 and 50 Franc nickel coins were circulated.
In 1976, 100 Francs nickel-bronze coins were introduced.
The overall design of the coins has remained the same since introduction
and the obverse has always been identical to that of the coins of the New
Caledonia Franc. The only notable changes were the removal of the text “Union
Francaise” and the change of name from “Etablisements
Francaise de I’Oceanie” to “Polynesie Francaise”
after 1952 and the addition of the initials “IEOM” (Institut
d’emission d”Outre-Mer) to the obverse in 1972.
New Caledonian Franc:
The Franc is the currency of New Caledonia subdivided into 100 centimes.
Until 1873, the French Franc circulated in New Caledonia.
Banknotes were issued specifically for use in the Island which circulated
alongside French coins.
Since 1945, it has been part of the CFP franc.
In 1945, the CFP Franc was issued for the first time.
In 1949, CFP Franc coins were issued for New Caledonia in the
denominations of 50 centimes, 1 and 2 Francs coins (metal composition for these
denominations: Aluminium). The 50 centimes was only issued in this year.
In 1949, New Caledonia and French Oceania (previous name of
French Polynesia) began to issue coins with identical obverses while the
reverses carried different inscriptions. All three types circulated in the
three French territories.
In 1952, 5 Francs Aluminium coins were circulated.
After 1952, the inscription “Union
Francaise” was removed.
From 1965, the name French Polynesia (“Polynesie
francaise”) has been used.
In 1967, 10, 20 and 50 Franc coins (metal composition for these
denominations: nickel) were introduced.
In 1972, the initials “I.E.O.M.” (abbreviation for “Institut
d’emission d’Outre-Mer”) were introduced to the obverses of the
coinage.
In 1976, 100 Francs coins minted in Nickel-bronze were
circulated.
The CFP Franc is also issued in French Polynesia and was used in
the New Hebrides until 1983.
From 1985, Banknotes have been issued common to both New
Caledonia and French Polynesia, although separate coinages continue.
Since 28.03.2003, French Polynesia has
been an overseas collectivity of the French Republic. The inscription “Polynesie Francaise” was
replaced by ““Republique
Francaise”.
Presently circulating coinage of the New Caledonia Franc:
The basic designs of all denominations of
coins have remained the same ab-initio, and the obverse has always been
identical to the coins of French Polynesian Franc.
With the 50 centime coins
not being in circulation, the denominations in circulation are – 1, 2, 5, 10,
20, 50 and 100 francs.
The Obverse of these coins is
identical, and carries the inscription “Republique
Francaise” in French (meaning “Republic of France”) an appelation
used on coins from when French Polynesia has been declared
an overseas collectivity of the “French Republic”.
On this face is depicted the bust of/seated (&
holding a bouquet of flowers in one hand and the torch of freedom in the other)
“Minerva”,
the “Roman Goddess of Wisdom”, or “Marianne” or the “Goddess of
Liberty” or “Lady Liberty”, which is a national emblem of the French Republic,
who symbolizes the “Triumph of the Republic”, the initials of the Bank issuing
the coins, “IEOM” (meaning “Institut d’emission d’Outre-Mer”) and the year of issue of this coin, which in all these coins is “2003”).
By implication, these are the first few coins which were issued after New
Caledonia was declared an overseas collectivity of the “French Republic”.
The Reverse of all these coins carries
the inscription “Nouvelle-Caledonie” (French for “New
Caledonia”). The Reverses of these
coins, depict landscapes, birds, fruits, animals or a sculpture or
architectural depiction typical of the colony.
The Obverse of the 1 Franc coin shows a seated Marianne, while the Reverse depicts the Kagu Bird.
The Obverse of the 2 Franc coin shows a seated Marianne, while the Reverse depicts the Kagu Bird.
The Obverse of the 5 Franc coin shows a seated Marianne, while the Reverse depicts the Kagu Bird.
On the Reverse of the 1, 2 and 5 Franc coins there is a depiction of the Coast of
French Polynesia and the Kagu or Cagou Bird
(– Rhynochetos jubatus). The Kagu Bird is an almost flightless bird, bluish-grey in colour and
is endemic to the dense mountain forests of New Caledonia. The Kagu is also the National Bird of New
Caledonia.
The specifications of 1, 2 and
5 CFP Franc coins are:
Diameter and Weight: 23.00 mm and 1.3 gms (for 1 Franc coin); 27.00 mm and 2.2 gms (for 2
Franc coins); 31.00 mm and 3.5 gms (for 5 Franc coins); Composition:
Aluminium Magnesium.
On the Reverse of
the 10 Franc coin is depicted
a Melanesian sailing pirogue
or flat hulled canoe which is
a boat of the indigenous tribes.
The specifications of the 10
Franc coins are:
Diameter and Weight: 24.00 mm and 6.0 gms;
Composition: Nickel.
On the Reverse of the 20
Franc coin is depicted the Breadfruit (Artocarpus
altilis) and heads of
three Zebu (Bos
primigenius indicus -which is also known as Brahman or humped
cattle and is a variety of domestic cattle originating in South Asia. They are
used as draught oxen, dairy cattle and as beef cattle).
The specifications of the 20
Franc coins are:
Diameter and Weight: 28.50 mm and 10.0 gms;
Composition: Nickel.
On the Reverse of the 50
and 100 Franc coins is depicted a Coastal Scenery with a house/hut of the indigenous
people, with a palm tree
behind it and Norfolk Island pines
surrounding it.
The specifications of the 50 and
100 Franc coins are:
Diameter and Weight: 33.00 mm and 15.0 gms (for 50 Franc coins); 30.00 mm and 10 gms (for
100 Franc coins)
Composition: Nickel.
These coins are from the collection of Jayant Biswas.
Post researched and written by Rajeev Prasad).
Links:
1) a) Central Bank of West African States issues: the "Franc Financial Cooperation in Central Africa (FCFA) b) Bank of Central African Cooperation in Central Africa (FFCCA)
2) Coinage of the French Polynesian Island of New Caledonia ("Nouvelle Caledonie" in French) - the CFP Franc.
3) Financial Institution for issuing uniform currency/coinage for French Overseas territories in the Pacific & French Southern Territories of Antarctica "The Institut d'emission d'Outre-mer" (IEOM) for French Polynesia (Tahiti), New caledonia, Wallis-et-Futuna, and the erstwhile New Hebrides (present day Vanuatu)
4) 2014 Emission of Banknotes for French Polynesia (Tahiti), New valedonia, Wallis-et futuna and the erstwhile New Hebrides (present day Vanuatu)
Links to Posts on Australia, New Zealand and countries and Overseas Territories of the South Pacific on this blog:
1) Bank of Papua New Guinea: 36th Anniversary Celebrations (1973-2008): A Commemorative Uncirulated Coin Set consisting of a 2 Kina Banknote & a 2 Kina Coin
2) Papua New Guinea: An uncirculated coin set brought out in 1995 commemorating the 20th Anniversary of Independence
3) Currency & Coinage of the Soloman Islands: Dollars and Cents
4) New Zealand: New Banknote "Seventh Series" issued under Project "Brighter Money" from 2015 onwards
5) Coinage of the French Polynesian Island of Caledonia (or Nouvelle Caledonie) the CFP Franc
6) French Institution for issuing uniform currency/coinage for French Overseas Territories in the Pacific and the French Southern Territories of Antarctica: The Institut d'emmission d'outre Mer (IEOM)
7) Currency & Coinage of Samoa: Tala and Sene
8) Currency of the South Pacific Island Country of Fiji
9) Coinage of New Zealand: A commemorative coin set issued in 1979
10) Currency and Coinage of Australia: Dollars and Cents
11) The Australian Emblem or the Coat of Arms
12) The story of the Australian Penny
13) The Legend of the Mutiny on the Bounty: A Commemorative Coin Set from the Pitcairn Islands depicting relics from the Bounty issued in 2009
14) An Australian $5 coin issued in 1996, commemorating Australia's greatest cricketing legend - Sir Donald Bradman
15) New Series/Generation of Australian Banknotes being introduced from 01.09.2016 onwards starting from $5 issues
Some other useful Links:
1) Honouring Louis Braille on the Bicentenary of his birth in 2009
2) Honouring Charles Eduord Jeanneret popularly known as Le Corbusieur, the French architect who built the modern city of Chandigarh & several other projects: A 10 Franc Banknote issued by the Swiss National Bank
3) Fort St. George Museum, Chennai (Part iii): i) Indo-Danish coins ii) Indo-Dutch coins iii) Indo-French coins iv) Indo-Portuguese coins
4) a) Central Bank of West African States issues: the "Franc African Financial Community" (FCFA) b) Bank of Central African States issues : the "Franc Financial Cooperation in Central Africa (FFCCA)
5) French Indo-China issues: A silver one Paistre coin issued in 1895
6) Financial Institution for issuing uniform currency/coinage for French Overseas Territories in the Pacific & French Southern Territories of Antarctica: The Institut d'emission d'outre-Mer (IEOM) for French Polynesia (Tahiti), New caledonia, Wallis-et-Futuna and the erstwhile New Hebrides (present day Vanuatu)
7) Coinage of the French Polynesian Island of New Caledonia (or Nouvelle-Caledonie in French) - the CFP Franc
8) Bicentenary of the Battle of Waterloo and Napoleon's exile to St. Helena (Part I): A one Crown Commemorative Coin issued by the Ascension Island
9) Bicentenary of the Battle of Waterloo and Napoleon's exile to St. Helena (Part II) : coins commemorating the 200th Anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo: 1) A 5 GBP coin issued by the Royal Mint UK: 2) A "Drie Landen Zilverset" issued by the Royal Dutch Mint - which includes coins of Netherlands, Belgium and UK
10) Jeanne d'Arc or Joan of Arc or "The Maid of Orleans" or "La Pucelle": 200 & 50 Euro gold coins and 10 Euro Silver coins issued by Monnaie de Paris in July 2016
11) i)"Europa Coin Programme" or the Eurostar Programme ii) Monnaie de Paris has issued a series of six coins with the theme "The Age of Iron & Glass" in January 2017
12) 100th Anniversary of Auguste Rodin's passing away commemorated with gold and silver Euro coins issued by the Monnaie de Paris under its on-going "The 7 Arts" Coin Series
13) Statue of Liberty, Paris, France: "Treasures of Paris": Coin series issued by Monnaie de Paris on 20.01.2017
14) Marianne (or Liberty): "The Trilogy": A set of Euro denominated coins in Gold and silver brought out by Monnaie de Paris in January 2017
Links:
1) a) Central Bank of West African States issues: the "Franc Financial Cooperation in Central Africa (FCFA) b) Bank of Central African Cooperation in Central Africa (FFCCA)
2) Coinage of the French Polynesian Island of New Caledonia ("Nouvelle Caledonie" in French) - the CFP Franc.
3) Financial Institution for issuing uniform currency/coinage for French Overseas territories in the Pacific & French Southern Territories of Antarctica "The Institut d'emission d'Outre-mer" (IEOM) for French Polynesia (Tahiti), New caledonia, Wallis-et-Futuna, and the erstwhile New Hebrides (present day Vanuatu)
4) 2014 Emission of Banknotes for French Polynesia (Tahiti), New valedonia, Wallis-et futuna and the erstwhile New Hebrides (present day Vanuatu)
Links to Posts on Australia, New Zealand and countries and Overseas Territories of the South Pacific on this blog:
1) Bank of Papua New Guinea: 36th Anniversary Celebrations (1973-2008): A Commemorative Uncirulated Coin Set consisting of a 2 Kina Banknote & a 2 Kina Coin
2) Papua New Guinea: An uncirculated coin set brought out in 1995 commemorating the 20th Anniversary of Independence
3) Currency & Coinage of the Soloman Islands: Dollars and Cents
4) New Zealand: New Banknote "Seventh Series" issued under Project "Brighter Money" from 2015 onwards
5) Coinage of the French Polynesian Island of Caledonia (or Nouvelle Caledonie) the CFP Franc
6) French Institution for issuing uniform currency/coinage for French Overseas Territories in the Pacific and the French Southern Territories of Antarctica: The Institut d'emmission d'outre Mer (IEOM)
7) Currency & Coinage of Samoa: Tala and Sene
8) Currency of the South Pacific Island Country of Fiji
9) Coinage of New Zealand: A commemorative coin set issued in 1979
10) Currency and Coinage of Australia: Dollars and Cents
11) The Australian Emblem or the Coat of Arms
12) The story of the Australian Penny
13) The Legend of the Mutiny on the Bounty: A Commemorative Coin Set from the Pitcairn Islands depicting relics from the Bounty issued in 2009
14) An Australian $5 coin issued in 1996, commemorating Australia's greatest cricketing legend - Sir Donald Bradman
15) New Series/Generation of Australian Banknotes being introduced from 01.09.2016 onwards starting from $5 issues
Some other useful Links:
1) Honouring Louis Braille on the Bicentenary of his birth in 2009
2) Honouring Charles Eduord Jeanneret popularly known as Le Corbusieur, the French architect who built the modern city of Chandigarh & several other projects: A 10 Franc Banknote issued by the Swiss National Bank
3) Fort St. George Museum, Chennai (Part iii): i) Indo-Danish coins ii) Indo-Dutch coins iii) Indo-French coins iv) Indo-Portuguese coins
4) a) Central Bank of West African States issues: the "Franc African Financial Community" (FCFA) b) Bank of Central African States issues : the "Franc Financial Cooperation in Central Africa (FFCCA)
5) French Indo-China issues: A silver one Paistre coin issued in 1895
6) Financial Institution for issuing uniform currency/coinage for French Overseas Territories in the Pacific & French Southern Territories of Antarctica: The Institut d'emission d'outre-Mer (IEOM) for French Polynesia (Tahiti), New caledonia, Wallis-et-Futuna and the erstwhile New Hebrides (present day Vanuatu)
7) Coinage of the French Polynesian Island of New Caledonia (or Nouvelle-Caledonie in French) - the CFP Franc
8) Bicentenary of the Battle of Waterloo and Napoleon's exile to St. Helena (Part I): A one Crown Commemorative Coin issued by the Ascension Island
9) Bicentenary of the Battle of Waterloo and Napoleon's exile to St. Helena (Part II) : coins commemorating the 200th Anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo: 1) A 5 GBP coin issued by the Royal Mint UK: 2) A "Drie Landen Zilverset" issued by the Royal Dutch Mint - which includes coins of Netherlands, Belgium and UK
10) Jeanne d'Arc or Joan of Arc or "The Maid of Orleans" or "La Pucelle": 200 & 50 Euro gold coins and 10 Euro Silver coins issued by Monnaie de Paris in July 2016
11) i)"Europa Coin Programme" or the Eurostar Programme ii) Monnaie de Paris has issued a series of six coins with the theme "The Age of Iron & Glass" in January 2017
12) 100th Anniversary of Auguste Rodin's passing away commemorated with gold and silver Euro coins issued by the Monnaie de Paris under its on-going "The 7 Arts" Coin Series
13) Statue of Liberty, Paris, France: "Treasures of Paris": Coin series issued by Monnaie de Paris on 20.01.2017
14) Marianne (or Liberty): "The Trilogy": A set of Euro denominated coins in Gold and silver brought out by Monnaie de Paris in January 2017
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