50 NF on 5000 Francs - Trésor public type 1960

The "Nouveau Franc" overprint issues of 1960 were a direct product of de Gaulle's currency reform of 1 January 1960, which redenominated the French franc at 100 old francs to one new franc. Rather than printing entirely new stock immediately, the Trésor public applied NF overprints to existing plates and, in some cases, existing notes — a transitional measure that produced one of the more visually awkward series in modern French monetary history.

The Trésor public issues of this period were distinct from Banque de France notes, circulating primarily for specific state payment functions. Attribution between overprinted and freshly printed NF stock from this transition window is a persistent cataloging problem.