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20 Francs - Bayard type 1916
| Issuer | Banque de France |
|---|---|
| Year | 1916-1925 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | 160 × 95 mm |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Central intaglio vignette of a peasant standing in a wheat field, pausing to sharpen his scythe, rendered in blue-green tones against a rural landscape background. The numeral 20 appears in the upper left corner, while an octagonal panel occupies the lower left. A vertical panel to the right carries the statutory counterfeiting warning text in letterpress. |
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| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | BAYARD head in profile |
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| Comments |
The Bayard type was introduced in 1916 as wartime pressures drained the Banque de France's metal reserves and forced a dramatic expansion of small-denomination paper. Before this issue, the 20-franc value had circulated almost exclusively in gold — the Napoléon coin. Putting that amount on paper was a significant psychological concession, and the public treated these notes with corresponding suspicion at first.
Romagnoli's intaglio work on the series is technically accomplished. The type ran for nearly a decade, which is itself a sign of how thoroughly gold coinage failed to return to everyday use after the Armistice.