50 Échantillon type RAVEL Francs

The Ravel 50 francs was the last French banknote series designed entirely in-house before the euro transition ended the franc's seven-century run. The "Échantillon type" designation marks this as a specimen — produced by the Banque de France's own printing works at Chamalières specifically for distribution to banks, merchants, and cash-handling businesses for staff training and counterfeit-detection familiarization, never released into general circulation.

Specimens of this type were typically punched, perforated, or overprinted to prevent fraudulent use, and the specific cancellation method varies across known examples — worth examining closely on any individual piece.