Catalog
100 Francs / Franken / Franchi
| Issuer | Banque Cantonale Neuchâteloise |
|---|---|
| Year | 1883-1910 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | LA BANQUE CANTONALE NEUCHÂTELOISE paiera à vue, au porteur, CENT FRANCS en espèces ayant cours légal. NEUCHATEL LE CAISSIER LE PRÉSIDENT LE DIRECTEUR 100 |
| Reverse description | The reverse is printed in blue and grey with a symmetrical guilloche composition centred on the trilingual denomination panel reading CENT FRANCS / HUNDERT FRANKEN / CENTO FRANCHI in bold letterpress. Two large circular medallions, each bearing a classical female portrait in profile, flank the central inscription, surrounded by dense lathework patterns and corner numerals 100 in ornamental cartouches. |
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| Comments |
The Banque Cantonale Neuchâteloise was one of roughly two dozen cantonal banks issuing their own notes during the decades before the Swiss National Bank absorbed that right in 1910. This 100-franc note falls within a transitional period: the Federal Act of 1881 had already established the legal framework for centralizing Swiss note issuance, but full implementation took nearly thirty years, leaving cantonal banks to continue printing on borrowed time.
The trilingual denomination — Francs, Franken, Franchi — reflects federal linguistic requirements imposed on all Swiss banknotes of the period, not a local Neuchâtel convention. Neuchâtel is a French-speaking canton.