Catalog
100 Francs 1st series
| Issuer | Schweizerische Nationalbank (Swiss National Bank) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1907 |
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| In circulation to | 1 July 1945 |
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| Obverse description | At left, a seated allegorical figure of Helvetia leans against a shield bearing the Swiss cross, rendered in fine intaglio engraving with classical drapery. A putto occupies the lower right portion of the vignette, while a decorative rosette incorporating the Swiss cross appears at the upper right. The note is dated 1 February 1907, with the place of issue given as Bern and Zürich, and carries three signature lines for the President of the Bank Council, the Chief Cashier, and a member of the Directorate, all set against a finely executed guilloche underprint. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | 100 SCHWEIZERISCHE NATIONALBANK BANQUE NATIONALE SUISSE • BANCA NATIONALE SVIZZERA (GESETZ VOM 6. OKTOBER 1905) HUNDERT FRANKEN CENT FRANCS • CENTO FRANCHI BERN & ZÜRICH, 1.FEBRUAR 1907 DER PRÄSIDENT DES BANKRATES: DER HAUPTKASSIER: EIN MITGLIED DES DIREKTORIUMS: 100 BRADBURY, WILKINSON & CO LONDRES. |
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| Comments |
The Schweizerische Nationalbank opened for business in June 1907, and this note belongs to its inaugural issue — the first series produced after the federal government finally wrested unified note-issuing authority away from the patchwork of cantonal and private banks that had dominated Swiss currency for decades. Bradbury, Wilkinson handled the printing in London, a common arrangement for smaller central banks in that period who needed security printing expertise they couldn't yet produce domestically.
Josef von Storck was a prominent Viennese decorative arts figure, which accounts for the Historicist ornamental character of the design — an unusual choice for a founding national issue, and one the SNB quietly moved away from in subsequent series.