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20 Francs - Bleu type 1905
| Issuer | Banque de France |
|---|---|
| Year | 1905-1913 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Cotton paper |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse, as visible in the provided image, is printed in blue and carries oval guilloche medallions at the left and right, each enclosing a classical female head in profile — allegorical effigies of Mercury and Ceres. The denomination 'VINGT' appears in bold letterpress at the lower corners, with the central field occupied by the statutory anti-counterfeiting warning text within a scrollwork cartouche, all framed by fine guilloche borders. |
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| Protection description | Female head in profile with the inscription BANQUE DE FRANCE below, visible when the note is held to light |
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| Comments |
The "Bleu" nickname stuck because of the note's distinctively deep blue ink — unusual for French currency of the period, which tended toward more muted tones. Chazal designed the plate and Dujardin's engraving work here is among his finer output for the Banque de France, with a precision in the intaglio lines that holds up under close examination even on circulated examples.
The signature pairings reflect two different caissier principal appointments across the issue window. Picard's name appears across both runs, bridging the d'Anfreville and Laferrière tenures — an administrative continuity that the dates make easy to map.