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1000 Frank Mercator biljet
| Issuer | Nationale Bank van België |
|---|---|
| Year | 2012 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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| Obverse description | Left half carries a large vignette of Gerardus Mercator in three-quarter portrait, bearded and wearing a flat cap, set against a vertical guilloche underprint. Centre shows a winged heraldic coat of arms within a multi-pointed star rosette, with a terrestrial globe below and a view of Rupelmonde castle at right. Denomination numerals appear at upper left and upper right corners. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Left vignette presents the Sint-Willibrorduskerk church in Rupelmonde with a statue in the forecourt, rendered in fine line illustration. At right, a circular medallion encloses a detailed portrait of Mercator holding a terrestrial globe and dividers. The border is composed of scrolling banderoles bearing the Latin motto AMOR POTESTAS EST repeated at each corner. |
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| Comments |
This is not a circulating banknote. The Nationale Bank van België issued this piece in 2012 as a commemorative item marking the 500th anniversary of the birth of Gerardus Mercator, the Flemish cartographer born in Rupelmonde in 1512. Belgium has a tradition of issuing collector francs denominated in the pre-euro currency long after the franc ceased to be legal tender — a quirk that gives these notes the formal appearance of monetary instruments without any redemption value.
Tom Houtman's design commission was a deliberate choice to work with contemporary Belgian graphic talent rather than reuse archival material.