Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
500 Francs - type 1831
| Issuer | Banque de France |
|---|---|
| Year | 1831-1832 |
| 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 | Log in to see details |
| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Charles-Pierre-Joseph Normand |
| 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 | The reverse of this note has not been documented in available catalog sources for this type. |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | Watermark reading CINQ CENTS FRANCS — BANQUE DE FRANCE, visible when held to light. |
| Variants | Log in to see details |
| Comments |
The type 1831 500 Francs was the first major redesign of the Banque de France's highest circulating denomination after the upheaval of the July Revolution. Normand supplied the design and Galle — better known as a medallist and sculptor than a banknote engraver — handled the intaglio work, an unusual choice that reflects the period's blurred boundary between fine art commissions and currency production.
At 12,175,000 notes printed across just two years, the run was substantial. The watermark remained the sole security feature, as it had been since the Banque's earliest issues — a vulnerability that prompted persistent counterfeiting complaints throughout the July Monarchy period.