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1000 Francs 1st series
| Issuer | Schweizerische Nationalbank (Swiss National Bank) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1907 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Franc (1850-date) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Printed in blue-grey intaglio over a pink-red letterpress underprint, the obverse centres a guilloche panel bearing the bank's trilingual title and denomination in German, French, and Italian. A full-length allegorical female figure in classical robes, holding a shield with the Swiss cross, occupies the left margin, while a seated putto vignette fills the lower-right corner panel. Four numeral counters reading '1000' mark the corners, with three signature lines for the President of the Bank Council, the Chief Cashier, and a member of the Directorate positioned below the central text block. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | 1000 1000 MILLE FRANCS TAUSEND FRANKEN MILLE FRANCHI 1000 1000 |
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| Comments |
Switzerland's first banknote series was commissioned before the Swiss National Bank even opened its doors — the SNB was established in 1907, and these notes had to be ready at inception, which meant sourcing a printer abroad while domestic infrastructure was still being arranged. Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co. in New Malden, Surrey handled the work, a logical choice given their reputation for intaglio security printing across multiple European central banks at the time.
The 1000 Franc denomination was the highest in the inaugural series and almost never appeared in everyday commerce. At that value in 1907, it functioned primarily as an interbank instrument. Josef von Storck was a Viennese professor of decorative arts whose involvement points to the decidedly Austrian aesthetic influence on early Swiss note design — a detail that sits oddly against the finished product's English manufacture.