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10 000 Francs - Bonaparte type 1955
| Issuer | Banque de France |
|---|---|
| Year | 1955-1958 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | A bust of Napoleon Bonaparte occupies the right portion of the note in intaglio engraving, while the Arc de Triomphe appears as a central vignette to the left. The composition is enriched with elaborate floral, vegetal, and fruit motifs alongside lyres, horns, trumpets, a palette, and a parchment scroll, all rendered in a refined classical allegorical style. The denominational legend DIX MILLE 10 000 FRANCS and the issuer inscription BANQUE DE FRANCE are integrated into the decorative surround. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | DIX MILLE 10 000 FRANCS BANQUE DE FRANCE |
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| Comments |
The 10,000-franc denomination was a significant sum in mid-1950s France — equivalent to roughly a month's wages for many workers — which kept this note largely out of everyday retail transactions and confined it to commercial and banking use. The "Bonaparte" name derives from the portrait used, though the series is sometimes confused with the earlier Génie Français 10,000-franc notes that preceded the postwar redesign.
Clément Serveau was a prolific designer for the Banque de France across several decades; Marliat and Armanelli were among the house engravers working at the Imprimerie de la Banque de France during the period. The note was rendered obsolete by the 1960 redenomination, when the introduction of the nouveau franc converted 10,000 old francs to 100 new ones.