Catalog
50 Francs
| Issuer | St. Gallische Kantonalbank |
|---|---|
| Year | 1883-1905 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Green intaglio-printed note with a full-length allegorical female figure standing to the left, rendered in a neoclassical style, and a putto vignette at the lower right. The central field carries the bank title ST. GALLISCHE KANTONALBANK in bold letterpress above the denomination FÜNFZIG FRANKEN, framed by an elaborate guilloche underprint. Serial number and series letter appear in red at upper left and lower right, with the issue date ST. GALLEN 1. OKTOBER 1896 and two manuscript signatures below. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Printed entirely in green, the reverse is arranged around two large circular guilloche medallions each containing a classical portrait bust in profile, set side by side at centre. The three-language denomination — CINQUANTE FRANCS, FÜNFZIG FRANKEN, and CINQUANTA FRANCHI — is printed horizontally across the central band between the medallions. Numeral 50 counters appear in each corner within ornamental frames, and a dense border of repeating micro-numerals encircles the entire design. |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | Log in to see details |
| Variants | Log in to see details |
| Comments |
St. Gallische Kantonalbank was one of several Swiss cantonal banks empowered to issue private banknotes before the Swiss National Bank's monopoly took effect in 1907. The commission going to Bradbury Wilkinson in London rather than a Swiss or continental house was entirely typical for the period — the firm's intaglio security work was among the most technically advanced available, and Swiss cantonal issuers regularly looked abroad for that reason.
Joseph Storck was a Viennese professor of ornamental design at the Kunstgewerbeschule, better known for decorative arts publications than banknote work — his involvement here suggests the commission was partly an artistic one, not purely a security printing brief.