100 NF on 10000 Francs - Bonaparte type 1955

The "NF" overprint — standing for Nouveaux Francs — was applied to existing stock of the 10,000 Franc Bonaparte notes as a stopgap measure during the 1960 redenomination, when de Gaulle's government slashed two zeros from the currency to stabilize confidence in the franc after years of inflationary erosion. The overprinted series was never intended as a long-term issue; it bridged the gap while purpose-designed NF notes reached circulation.

Serveau's original design dates from the mid-1950s, with Marliat handling the obverse intaglio and Armanelli the reverse — a division of engraving labor fairly common at Chamalières. The overprint itself is the historically loaded element here, not the base note.