The Minerve 10 Francs was first introduced in 1915 but the modified type issued between 1939 and 1942 carries an altogether different weight — this was a note produced and circulated during the German Occupation, when the Banque de France continued to operate under Vichy authority and was effectively compelled to print currency that helped finance the occupying power's requisitions. The note's longevity as a design masked what had become a deeply compromised institution.
Romagnoli's engraving work was precise and well-regarded within the Imprimerie de la Banque de France; the basic plate architecture had survived nearly three decades of reuse by this point, a quiet indicator of how reluctant French monetary authorities were to invest in new designs during successive crises.
The Minerve 10 Francs was first introduced in 1915 but the modified type issued between 1939 and 1942 carries an altogether different weight — this was a note produced and circulated during the German Occupation, when the Banque de France continued to operate under Vichy authority and was effectively compelled to print currency that helped finance the occupying power's requisitions. The note's longevity as a design masked what had become a deeply compromised institution.
Romagnoli's engraving work was precise and well-regarded within the Imprimerie de la Banque de France; the basic plate architecture had survived nearly three decades of reuse by this point, a quiet indicator of how reluctant French monetary authorities were to invest in new designs during successive crises.