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50 Francs - type 1870 Clermont-Ferrand
| Issuer | Banque de France |
|---|---|
| Year | 1870 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Reference(s) | Fay#A45 |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | BANQUE DE FRANCE CINQUANTE FRANCS JH CABASSON INVD PANNEMAKER LIGNY SC. |
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| Reverse lettering | JH CABASSON INVD PANNEMAKER SC. |
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| Comments |
The "Clermont-Ferrand" designation tells the story. When Prussian forces advanced on Paris in the autumn of 1870, the Banque de France relocated critical printing operations to Clermont-Ferrand in the Auvergne — one of several provincial emergency arrangements that kept French paper currency functioning during the siege. This 50 Francs type was produced under those conditions, making it a direct artifact of the Franco-Prussian War's disruption to central banking infrastructure.
Pannemaker was a distinguished Brussels-born engraver whose work appears across multiple European issuing authorities of the period. His presence on both faces of this note is notable; split engraving responsibilities between obverse and reverse were common, sole attribution on both sides less so.