50 Francs 2nd series, type 2

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.