100 Nouveaux Francs - Bonaparte type 1959

The "Bonaparte" hundred was the first of the nouveau franc series to circulate following the 1960 redenomination, which converted old francs at 100:1 — a reform pushed through under de Gaulle to stabilize a currency that had hemorrhaged credibility through two decades of postwar inflation. Serveau had actually designed the note years earlier; the conversion simply repatriated it into the new numbering system with minimal modification.

Marliat's intaglio work on the face is among the finer engraving of the period, which is saying something given the Banque de France's consistently high standards for its Paris presswork. Armanelli handled the reverse with the same atelier.

The 1964 withdrawal date aligns with the introduction of the Richelieu type, which replaced it after a comparatively short run of five years.