Catalog
1 Franc
| Issuer | Monnaie de Paris |
|---|---|
| Year | 1948-1949 |
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| Reference(s) | KM#4 |
| Obverse description | Left-facing draped bust of Marianne, the allegorical figure of the French Republic, wearing a winged helmet and her hair arranged in flowing waves. A stylized harbour scene with ship masts appears in the lower field behind the figure, evoking France's colonial maritime presence. The engraver's signature L.BAZOR appears at the lower left, with the date below the bust. The circular legend REPUBLIQUE FRANÇAISE UNION FRANÇAISE runs along the upper periphery within a raised border. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
France entered the postwar period with its monetary system in ruins — occupation, liberation, and the provisional government's spending had gutted confidence in the franc. The aluminum 1 Franc issued under the Fourth Republic was a stopgap measure, cheap to produce at a moment when strategic metals were still being rationed and the treasury was effectively insolvent. The design commission went to Pierre Rodier, whose work appeared across several of the new aluminum denominations introduced simultaneously in 1947–1948.
The two-year window of this type reflects how quickly French monetary policy was shifting; by 1950 the franc's ongoing devaluation had rendered the 1 Franc denomination functionally worthless in daily commerce.