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50 Francs 2nd series, type 2
| Issuer | Swiss National Bank |
|---|---|
| Year | 1924-1955 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Printed entirely in dark green on a pale guilloche underprint, the reverse is dominated by a large central intaglio vignette of a woodcutter in full swing of his axe amid a dense forest, drawn after a composition by Ferdinand Hodler. The vignette is enclosed within an ornate lace-pattern border with denomination numerals at each corner; the bank name in German appears in a panel at the top and in French at the bottom, with the Italian name lettered vertically on both side panels. |
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| Protection description | a woman's head visible in the paper when held to light |
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| Comments |
The sheer number of signature combinations here — over fifty across three decades — reflects the SNB's strict practice of triple-signing its notes, requiring the president, vice-president, and cashier to each authorize every dated issue. That bureaucratic thoroughness is what drives the collector complexity of this series. The design itself originated with Ferdinand Hodler, the Bernese-born symbolist painter, an unusual choice of artist for a central bank; Hodler died in 1918, meaning he never saw his work reach print in this form.
Waterlow & Sons produced the plates in London throughout the entire run. Notes dated 03.08.1939 were authorized four weeks before the Swiss Federal Council mobilized the army — that date carries weight.