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10 000 Francs - Génie Français type 1945
| Issuer | Banque de France |
|---|---|
| Year | 1945-1956 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Franc (1795-1959) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | 10 000 FRS | 10 000 FRS BANQUE DE FRANCE DIX MILLE FRANCS |
| Reverse description | A young man in classical pose leans against a stone block surrounded by cutting and drawing instruments, symbolising the arts and crafts. Behind him rises a Corinthian capital, while a Gothic edifice appears at left and the Pont Saint-Bénezet in Avignon is depicted at right, evoking French architectural heritage. The reverse carries the statutory penal warning text in letterpress. |
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| Comments |
The Génie Français 10 000 Francs occupied an awkward position in postwar French monetary life — it was the highest denomination in circulation at a time when inflation had made that sum increasingly ordinary. The type was introduced in 1945 as France struggled to stabilize a currency badly damaged by occupation-era overprinting and German extraction of resources. By the early 1950s, 10 000 francs would buy roughly what 1 000 had before the war.
Beltrand's engraving work is the technical highlight here. Jules Piel handled the primary intaglio, but Georges Léon Égalité Beltrand — a member of the well-known Beltrand engraving family — contributed the refined tonal work that gave the series its characteristic depth. The note remained in production across eleven years, longer than most of its contemporaries in the BdF postwar lineup.