100 Franchi

Banca della Svizzera Italiana was one of several Ticino cantonal banks granted note-issuing rights under the Swiss Federal Banking Act of 1875, which attempted to regulate — without yet centralizing — the chaotic patchwork of Swiss private note circulation. The choice of the American Bank Note Company, then at the height of its reputation for security printing, was deliberate: Swiss private issuers in the 1870s competed partly on the perceived inimitability of their notes, and ABNC's engraved work was considered a credible deterrent against counterfeiting.

BSI lost its right to issue notes when the Swiss National Bank was established in 1907 and assumed the monopoly on circulation. This series had a short window of legitimate use.