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500 Francs - Chateaubriand type 1945
| Issuer | Banque de France |
|---|---|
| Year | 1945-1953 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 500 Francs |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
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| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Watermark |
| Protection description | Female head in profile |
| Variants | Log in to see details |
| Comments |
The Chateaubriand 500 Francs was introduced in mid-1945 as France rebuilt its monetary infrastructure following occupation and liberation. During the German occupation, the Banque de France had been forced to issue currency under Vichy authority and to finance Wehrmacht costs — the postwar series represented a deliberate break, though the Bank itself had printed continuously throughout and the institutional machinery was the same. Poughéon was a Prix de Rome laureate whose involvement gave the note a distinctly academic engraving tradition.
The three signature combinations spanning 1945 to 1953 reflect successive changes in the Bank's governing personnel — the Favre-Gilly and Gargam caissier signatures are the clearest dating markers for collectors. Early dates from the July–November 1945 window are notably more common than the 1952–53 Gouin d'Ambrières issues, which closed out the type before the Molière 500 Francs superseded it.