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1000 Francs - Minerve & Hercule type 1945
| Issuer | Banque de France |
|---|---|
| Year | 1945-1950 |
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| Reference(s) | P#130 |
| Obverse description | Conjoined busts of Minerva and Hercules occupy the central vignette, set against an extended cornucopia with a winged horse at left, all executed in fine intaglio engraving within an intricate border of flowers, fruits, and birds. The denomination '1000' appears in the upper corners within ornate cartouches, while the issuer's name 'BANQUE DE FRANCE' is inscribed at the lower centre above the statutory counterfeiting warning. The overall composition is enriched by elaborate guilloche scrollwork and classical allegorical motifs characteristic of mid-twentieth-century French banknote design. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse lettering | 1000 | 1000 BANQUE DE FRANCE L`ARTICLE 139 DU CODE PENAL PUNIT DES TRAVAUX FORCES CEUX QUI AURONT CONTREFAIT OU FALSIFIE DES BILLETS DE BANQUES AUTORISES PAR LA LOI, AINSI QUE CEUX QUI AURONT FAIT USAGE DE CES BILLETS CONTREFAITS OU FALSIFIES |
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| Comments |
The Minerve & Hercule 1000 Francs was commissioned as France was still emerging from occupation — the design brief demanded imagery that asserted republican strength at a moment when the Vichy-era notes needed to be swept from circulation as quickly as possible. Clément Serveau had long worked within the Banque de France's design orbit, and Marliat's engraving on the obverse is among the more accomplished intaglio work of the immediate postwar series.
Three distinct signature combinations span the issue across five years, reflecting personnel changes at the Banque de France rather than any reissue or revision to the plates themselves. The Gargam-signed examples from 1948 onward are the more commonly encountered today.