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500 Francs - Allied Military Currency
| Issuer | Allied Military Authority |
|---|---|
| Year | 1944 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Rectangular |
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| Obverse description | The note is dominated by an intricate guilloche underprint in green and blue tones, with a central rectangular vignette containing the numeral '500' in large red letterpress. The denomination 'CINQ CENTS FRANCS' appears in the upper portion, flanked by corner ornaments and repeated micro-text within the guilloche work. Serial numbers appear at upper right and lower left, with additional overprint text referencing the Series of 1944 and issuance in France distributed across the face. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse is printed in blue and red tones with a radiating sunburst guilloche pattern filling the entire field. At center, an oval cartouche contains a vignette of the French tricolor flag, rendered in blue, white, and red, set against the rays of the sunburst. The motto 'LIBERTÉ ÉGALITÉ FRATERNITÉ' inscribed within the oval border frames the flag vignette. |
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| Comments |
Allied Military Currency for France was authorized under a 1944 agreement between SHAEF and the French provisional government, though de Gaulle bitterly opposed the entire program — he viewed the dollar-backed scrip as an infringement on French sovereignty and refused to formally sanction it. The notes were printed without Banque de France authorization and were never given legal tender status by the French government, which moved quickly to replace them with Caisse Centrale de la France Libre issues.
Forbes Lithograph in Boston produced the French AMC series under U.S. Treasury direction. The 500-franc denomination circulated briefly in liberated zones during summer and autumn 1944 before French authorities pulled them from use — a remarkably short active life for a note of this face value.