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100 Franken / Francs / Franchi
| Issuer | Bank in Basel |
|---|---|
| Year | 1879 |
| Type | Pattern or trial banknote |
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| Obverse description | The obverse is executed in a fine intaglio style with an intricate guilloche border framing the entire composition. At upper centre, a classical female portrait vignette is set within an oval medallion, flanked on either side by allegorical putti figures supporting the decorative frame. The denomination "HUNDERT FRANKEN" is rendered in large bold letterpress type at centre, with the issuer name "DIE BANK IN BASEL" above, and the trilingual denomination references "CENT FRANCS" and "CENTO FRANCHI" appearing along the lower border alongside the Swiss cross emblem and the notation "2. Emission vom Jahre 1879". |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse is printed in a pale blue-grey underprint with a simple ornamental border. The French-language text of the issuer "BANQUE DE BALE" appears at the top, with a secondary line reading "DIE BANK IN BASEL" below in smaller type, followed by the bold inscription "BILLET DE CENT FRANCS" at centre and "VALEUR SUISSE" below, the overall design being deliberately understated relative to the obverse. |
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| Comments |
The Bank in Basel — Banque de Bâle — was one of the Swiss cantonal and private banks of issue that preceded the establishment of the Swiss National Bank in 1907. Under the Federal Banking Law of 1881, private note-issuing banks were brought under federal supervision, and many eventually surrendered their right of issue either voluntarily or through consolidation pressure. Whether this note survived into active late-period circulation or was withdrawn early is difficult to establish with certainty — the Bank in Basel's redemption records are not widely documented in secondary literature.
The trilingual denomination reflects Basel's position at the intersection of German, French, and Italian-speaking Switzerland, a practical concession rather than a decorative one.