Catalog
100 Francs Banque du Commerce
| Issuer | Banque du Commerce, Geneva |
|---|---|
| Year | 1883-1906 |
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| Value | 100 Francs |
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| Obverse description | At left, a full-length allegorical figure of Helvetia stands facing right, leaning against a heraldic shield bearing the Swiss coat of arms, holding a sword and wearing a diadem; at right, a putto supports a rectangular cartouche containing the denomination in numerals. The text panel carries the bank title, place, date, and issuing obligations in French, with the printer's imprint at lower right. The entire composition is executed in fine intaglio engraving with elaborate vignette work throughout. |
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| Reverse lettering | 100 CENT FRANCS HUNDERT FRANKEN CENTO FRANCHI |
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| Comments |
The Banque du Commerce was one of several private Geneva cantonal banks operating in the period before Switzerland's monetary consolidation under the Swiss National Bank, founded in 1907. This note predates that transition by a matter of years — the SNB's establishment effectively ended the note-issuing rights of private cantonal institutions like this one, and the Banque du Commerce's circulation privileges were among those extinguished in the process.
Bradbury Wilkinson's involvement is worth noting: the London firm held engraving contracts across dozens of private and colonial issuers during this period, and their Geneva work shared production infrastructure with commissions from far larger institutions. The P#S303 prefix signals its private bank classification — a category that Swiss numismatic literature has historically underserved.