1000 Francs 7th series, reserve banknote

The seventh series was designed in the early 1970s but held entirely in reserve — never released to the public — serving as an emergency replacement in the event the sixth series was compromised or had to be withdrawn. The SNB maintained this practice of a parallel reserve series for decades, a contingency measure largely invisible to Swiss citizens and, consequently, to most collectors until these notes began appearing at auction.

Pierre Schopfer's intaglio engraving gives the printing a tactile depth unusual even by Swiss standards. The Pfunds' design work here is more restrained than their later commissions.