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500 Francs - Pierre & Marie Curie type 1993
| Issuer | Banque de France |
|---|---|
| Year | 1994-2000 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 500 Francs (500 FRF) |
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| 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 |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Vignette of the chemistry laboratory of the Measurement Services at the Institut du Radium, established 20 January 1914, rendered in fine intaglio line work. Below the watermark area, the full text of the applicable articles of the Penal Code (effective 1 March 1994) regarding counterfeiting is printed in letterpress. |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | Watermark portrait of Marie Curie visible when held to light; embedded security thread. |
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| Comments |
Roger Pfund's design for this series broke sharply from the classical engraved style that had defined Banque de France issues for generations. Pfund, a Swiss designer and artist, brought a deliberately painterly, layered aesthetic — unusual for a central bank that had long favored the precision of intaglio line engraving as both an artistic and anti-counterfeiting standard.
The note honored both Pierre and Marie Curie jointly, a pairing that acknowledged Marie's foundational role in the discovery of radioactivity rather than subordinating her to her husband's name — a point that attracted real public attention at the time of introduction. She remains one of very few women to have appeared on a Banque de France note.
Production ran at the Chamalières facility through the final years before euro adoption rendered the entire franc series obsolete by 2002.