Catalog
50 Francs
| Issuer | Bank in Basel (Die Bank in Basel) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1877-1879 |
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| Currency | Franc (1871-1906) |
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| Obverse description | The pink guilloche-patterned centre field carries the bold letterpress denomination FÜNFZIG FRANKEN and the issuer legend DIE BANK IN BASEL in large capitals, with a promise-to-pay line above three signature spaces for Cassier, Präsident, and Director. A finely engraved female portrait vignette in an oval medallion appears at the top centre, flanked by tall lateral vignettes of standing putti or caryatid figures framing decorative cartouches with wheel ornaments, all in dark olive-brown intaglio printing. The lower margin bears the trilingual denominations CINQUANTE FRANCS and CINQUANTA FRANCHI alongside the Swiss cross emblem, with the emission year 1877 noted at foot. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse is essentially unprinted save for typeset lettering in large serif capitals against the plain paper, showing through the translucent sheet the ghost impression of the obverse design. The text is arranged in three horizontal registers across the full width of the note, without any vignette or ornamental border work of its own. |
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| Comments |
Die Bank in Basel was one of Switzerland's private cantonal note-issuing banks operating before the Swiss National Bank's founding in 1907 consolidated the right of issue. The Dondorf & Naumann imprint is worth noting — the Frankfurt firm was better known for playing cards and chromolithographic work than banknote production, and their involvement here reflects the relatively open market for private bank printing contracts in the German-speaking world during this period.
Swiss private banknotes of this era were suppressed progressively, and most surviving examples come from unissued or lightly circulated stock rather than everyday commerce.