20 Francs 3rd series

The third series 20 Franc note had an unusually long production run — print dates stretch from 1929 through 1952, spanning the Depression, the Swiss franc's departure from gold convertibility in 1936, and the entirety of the Second World War. Switzerland's neutrality kept the SNB functioning continuously through that period, which partly explains why the same plate design could remain in service for over two decades without political interruption.

The signature matrix is extensive and carries two documented catalog errors: the 11.04.1935 dates list "Sarasin" as the first signatory when the correct name is Schaller, and three dates in January 1949 are misrecorded by one day. The designer credit traces to Felix Maria Diogg — an eighteenth-century portraitist — meaning the SNB recycled an existing image rather than commissioning original artwork for this series.