Catalog
20 Francs
| Issuer | Crédit Agricole et Industriel de la Broye |
|---|---|
| Year | 1866 |
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| Printer | Hofer, Zürich |
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| Obverse description | Printed on orange paper, the obverse carries the issuer's name in bold letterpress across the upper field, with the date and place of issue — Estavayer, 1 December 1866 — above. The central text panel, framed by an ornate scrollwork cartouche with numeral 20 medallions at each side, bears the denomination VINGT FRANCS in large bold type above the bearer clause. Four intaglio-printed vignettes occupy the corners, each showing a Swiss lakeside or rural townscape, while a decorative mechanical vignette appears at top centre; signature lines for the President, an administrator, and the secretary-cashier are printed below the central cartouche. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | ESTAVAYER, le 1 Décembre 1866 CRÉDIT AGRICOLE ET INDUSTRIEL DE LA BROYE BON POUR VINGT FRANCS 20 20 payables au porteur et à présentation Le Président de la Direction: Un administrateur: Le secrétaire Caissier: Hofer, Zürich |
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| Comments |
The Crédit Agricole et Industriel de la Broye was one of several cantonal and regional private credit institutions that issued notes in Switzerland before the Federal Banking Act of 1881 effectively ended the era of decentralized note issuance. The Broye is a river district straddling the cantons of Fribourg and Vaud — a decidedly rural, agricultural zone — which makes the "industriel" in this bank's name somewhat optimistic for its time and place.
Hofer of Zürich was a competent but minor Swiss printer whose note production was modest compared to contemporaries like Orell Füssli. This 1866 date puts the note squarely in the contested pre-unification period when Switzerland had dozens of note-issuing institutions and no national currency authority.