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200 Francs - Montesquieu type 1981 uniface
| Issuer | Banque de France |
|---|---|
| Year | 1981-1991 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 200 Francs (200 FRF) |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
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| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Intaglio portrait of Montesquieu (1689–1755) to the left, his heraldic coat of arms below, with an allegorical figure of Justice holding scales to the right, accompanied by an imaginary coat of arms of justice. The note is a uniface trial printed on one side only, with the reverse left blank, allowing the obverse design to show through in mirror image. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Uniface trial: the reverse is unprinted, presenting a blank surface through which the obverse intaglio vignette is faintly visible in reverse due to ink show-through. No independent design elements are present on this side. |
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| Comments |
The Montesquieu 200 Francs was the first note of that denomination ever issued by the Banque de France — the 200 Franc value had no prior history in French paper currency, introduced here partly to reduce pressure on the heavily circulated 100 Franc series. Lambert and Jubert had collaborated on earlier French issues, and the intaglio work on this note is among the more technically demanding of the period, with fine screen gradients that counterfeiters consistently failed to replicate cleanly.
The "uniface" designation in the trade refers to a small number of imperfectly printed sheets that escaped quality control with one side unprinted — not an official variety, but documented and collected. The series ran a full decade before being replaced by the Condorcet 200 Francs in 1995.