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500 Francs - Treasury Not Issued
| Issuer | French Treasury |
|---|---|
| Year | 1945 |
| 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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| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | 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 | The reverse is printed in blue and features a bold central oval vignette with the word 'FRANCE' in large serif letters, enclosed within a guilloche border carrying the republican motto. Radiating sunburst lines emanate from the central vignette across the entire field, framed by ornate scrollwork and foliate corner devices. The overall design is restrained and symbolic, typical of Allied Military Currency issues produced for liberated France. |
| Reverse lettering | LIBERTÉ ÉGALITÉ FRATERNITÉ FRANCE |
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| Comments |
The French Treasury contracted Forbes Lithograph of Boston for a run of Allied-occupation currency prepared in advance of the liberation of France. This 500 Franc note belongs to that preparation — printed stateside but never formally released into circulation, hence the "not issued" designation. The Allied Military Currency program produced enormous quantities of francs through American printers, and overproduction meant substantial stocks were condemned before they ever reached French hands.
Forbes was a commercial lithographer rather than a specialist security printer, which shows in the relatively modest execution compared to Banque de France intaglio work of the same period.