5 New Francs Overprint on 500 Francs

When France introduced the nouveau franc on 1 January 1960 — lopping two zeros off the old franc — the Caisse Centrale had to reconcile its overseas territories without waiting for entirely new print runs. The solution was mechanical: existing 500-franc Serveau notes were overprinted "5 NF" and reissued, a stopgap that placed two different denominational systems on the same piece of paper simultaneously.

Beltrand's intaglio work on the obverse was among the finer engraving produced for CCFOM issues; Hourriez handled the reverse with comparable precision. The overprint, applied by the Banque de France, sits in deliberate contrast to the craftsmanship beneath it.