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50 Francs
| Issuer | Banque de France |
|---|---|
| Year | 1884-1889 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | 195 x 122 mm |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | BANQUE de FRANCE CINQUANTE FRANCS Le Caissier principal: Le Secrétaire général: |
| Reverse description | Printed in blue intaglio, the reverse presents a central vignette of two allegorical seated female figures — representing Industry and Agriculture — clasping hands across a globe, enclosed within an elaborate oval guilloche frame of foliate and scroll work. Flanking text panels at left and right carry legal penalty notices regarding counterfeiting. The denomination CINQUANTE FRANCS is inscribed at the top, with the labels INDUSTRIE and AGRICULTURE appearing below the respective figures. |
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| Comments |
Pick 62 spans a five-year window during which the Banque de France was steadily consolidating its monopoly over note issuance following the 1870s departure of several provincial competitors. The 50 Franc denomination sat at a genuinely practical level for the period — substantial enough to matter in commercial transactions, low enough to circulate with real frequency — and surviving examples often show corresponding wear.
The Banque de France printed its own notes throughout this era, an unusual degree of vertical integration that kept plate security and paper supply firmly in-house. The watermark was the primary anti-counterfeiting tool; sophisticated intaglio security printing as later generations would know it was still some years away.