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50 Francs
| Issuer | Banque Cantonale Neuchâteloise |
|---|---|
| Year | 1874-1879 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | The obverse is engraved in intaglio by A. Bovet of Geneva and centered on a large oval guilloche border containing the issuer's name and the denomination inscription in bold script. At the top of the oval, the Swiss cantonal arms of Neuchâtel surmounted by a cross appear within an ornate cartouche flanked by laurel branches and radiating lines. Denomination numeral "50" appears in decorative cartouches at each side of the oval, with three signature lines for the Contrôleur, Caissier, and Directeur below, and an emission cartouche at the foot bearing the date and place of issue alongside decorative scrollwork and a small architectural vignette. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse reproduces the same intaglio-engraved design as the obverse, printed in mirror image through the paper, with the full oval guilloche frame, cantonal arms vignette, denomination numerals, inscription text, signature lines, and emission cartouche all visible in reverse orientation as a show-through impression, with light blue cancellation marks applied across the surface. |
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| Comments |
The Banque Cantonale Neuchâteloise was one of roughly two dozen cantonal banks issuing their own notes in Switzerland during the 1870s, a fragmented system that the Federal Act of 1881 — and ultimately the founding of the Swiss National Bank in 1907 — would eventually dismantle. These notes circulated in a genuinely competitive currency environment, where public trust in a specific cantonal institution was priced into daily commerce.
Auguste Bovet's Geneva workshop handled both the engraving and printing, which was not always the case in this period — separating those functions between firms was common. The consolidated arrangement likely reflects the relatively modest print runs typical of smaller cantonal issuers.