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1000 Francs 4th series, reserve banknote
| Issuer | Swiss National Bank |
|---|---|
| Year | 1950 |
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| Engraver(s) | Obverse: Hohmann Reverse: Nikitin |
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| Obverse description | Black, blue, and violet intaglio on multicolour guilloche underprint, with elaborate lathe-work borders at left and right incorporating the Swiss cross within a rosette medallion. The bank's name is rendered in three languages in bold letterpress across the upper centre field, with the denomination in German, French, and Italian below, all set against a vibrant multicolour central underprint. An intaglio portrait vignette of a young woman's head — braided hair, three-quarter facing left — occupies a framed cartouche at right, with three facsimile signatures and the issue date "BERN UND ZÜRICH 1. JANUAR 1950" in the lower centre. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse lettering | 1000 1000 SCHWEIZERISCHE NATIONALBANK BANCA NAZIONALE SVIZZERA BANCA NAZIONALE SVIZZERA BANQUE NATIONALE SUISSE 1000 1000 ART. INSTITUT ORELL FÜSSLI AG ZÜRICH |
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| Comments |
The fourth series was held in reserve from the outset — the Swiss National Bank printed it as a contingency against wartime destruction or seizure of circulating notes, a policy developed from Switzerland's neutral but physically vulnerable position during the Second World War. This series never entered public circulation; the notes were stored, periodically inspected, and eventually demonetized without most examples ever passing through a single hand.
Hans Erni, a prominent Swiss artist with well-documented left-leaning politics, was later considered a controversial choice in retrospect, though no formal objection prevented the commission. The engraving split between Hohmann on the obverse and the Soviet-trained Nikitin on the reverse is an unusual pairing for a Swiss issue of this period.