Martinique 1 Franc 1897-1922

History

Obverse. Photo © Heritage Auctions

Description

Originally inhabited by the Arawaks followed by the Caribbean, Martinique was discovered in 1502 by Christopher Columbus on his fourth voyage. In 1635 there was established the first colony in the name of the King of France and American Islands Company. The expansion of plantations led to the eradication of indigenous Arawaks. The mid-seventeenth century, the tobacco crisis ruin the small white planters and permanently installs an economy based on monoculture of sugar cane in the hands of wealthy planters. These in search of cheap labor turns to slavery. Between 1794 and 1802 and then between 1809 and 1814, the island was occupied by the English. In 1848, slavery was abolished. Farmers then use indenture. Competition from beet production, this single industry is in crisis in the late nineteenth century. In 1902, the eruption of Mount Pelee completely destroyed the city of Saint-Pierre making 30,000 deaths. In 1946, the island became an overseas region of France.

This type and an accompanying fifty centimes are the only issues recorded for Martinique in the nineteenth century. Both are scarce and expensive.

Engraver: Alfred Borrel

Obverse	Person (king, queen, tsar etc.) Joséphine Depicts bust of Josephine left, within a circle with a star above, surrounded by inscriptions" French Republic" and "Colony of the Martinique". Joséphine (1763–1814) was the first wife of Napoleon, and the first Empress of the French after he proclaimed himself Emperor. Marie Josèphe Rose Tascher de La Pagerie was born in Les Trois-Îlets, Martinique, to a wealthy French Creole family that owned a sugarcane plantation. Her marriage to Napoleon was her second; her first husband, Alexandre de Beauharnais, was guillotined during the Reign of Terror, and she was imprisoned in the Carmes Prison until five days after his execution. Her two children by Beauharnais became significant to royal lineage. Through her daughter, Hortense, she was the maternal grandmother of Napoleon III. Through her son, Eugène, she was the great-grandmother of later Swedish and Danish kings and queens. The reigning houses of Belgium, Norway and Luxembourg also descend from her. She did not bear Napoleon any children; as a result, he divorced her in 1810 to marry Marie Louise of Austria. Joséphine was the recipient of numerous love letters written by Napoleon, many of which still exist. Her Château de Malmaison was noted for its magnificent rose garden, which she supervised closely, owing to her passionate interest in roses, collected from all over the world. RÉPUBLIQUE ✶ FRANÇAISE COLONIE DE LA MARTINIQUE
Reverse	Tree, flower, plant etc. Olive, Sugarcane Value "Good for 1 Franc" and date within wreath (olive and sugarcane), surrounded by the inscription "Treasurable Authority". Engraver's name below. CONTRE-VALEUR DÉPOSÉE AU TRÉSOR BON POUR 1 FRANC 1897 A. BORREL
Edge	Plain