5 Francs - Blue type 1905

The Banque de France introduced this note partly to reduce reliance on the 5-franc silver coin, whose metal value kept pace uncomfortably close to its face value. Chazal and Dujardin had collaborated on earlier Banque de France work, and the engraving quality on this series is notably finer than what the denomination's everyday purchasing power might suggest warranted — the French central bank rarely skimped on small notes the way other issuers did.

The eleven-year print run spanned the entirety of the First World War, during which small-denomination paper circulated heavily as hoarding stripped coinage from everyday commerce. High-circulation survival on this type is consequently rough.