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5 Francs - Pasteur type 1966
| Issuer | Banque de France |
|---|---|
| Year | 1966-1970 |
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| Reference(s) | P#146 |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | To the right, an intaglio portrait vignette of Louis Pasteur in profile bust. To the left, a vignette of the statue of shepherd boy Joseph Meister's saviour, Jupille, locked in combat with a rabid dog. The central field is filled with engraved scientific apparatus including test tubes, a microscope, and laboratory instruments; corner vignettes contain roosters, rabbits, and sheep, alluding to Pasteur's rabies and anthrax research. |
| Reverse lettering | 5 BANQUE DE FRANCE 5 L`ARTICLE 139 DU CODE PENAL PUNIT DE LA RECLUSION CRIMINELLE A PERPETUITE CEUX QUI AURONT CONTREFAIT OU FALSIFIE DES BILLETS DE BANQUE AUTORISES PAR LA LOI, AINSI QUE CEUX QUI AURONT FAIT USAGE DE CES BILLETS CONTREFAITS OU FALSIFIES. CEUX QUI LES AURONT INTRODUITS EN FRANCE SERONT PUNIS DE LA MÊME PEINE. (Translation: Bank of France Article 139 of the Penal Code punishes with life imprisonment those who counterfeit or falsify banknotes authorized by the law, also those who pass counterfeit or falsified notes. Those who introduce them into France will receive the same punishment.) |
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| Comments |
The Pasteur 5 Francs was introduced following France's 1960 redenomination, which converted old francs at 100:1 — meaning this note replaced the 500-franc note in practical terms. By the mid-1960s the 5-franc denomination carried real purchasing weight, and the choice of Pasteur as the featured figure reflected a deliberate postwar policy of anchoring French currency to scientific and cultural achievement rather than political figures.
Pierrette Lambert was one of the few women to design banknotes for the Banque de France during this period. The engraving was split between Poilliot on the obverse and Renaud on the reverse — a division of labor common at the BdF workshops but rarely acknowledged outside specialist literature.