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500 Franken / Francs / Franchi
| Issuer | Schweizerische Nationalbank / Banque Nationale Suisse / Banca Nazionale Svizzera |
|---|---|
| Year | 1949 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Printer | Orell Füssli, Zurich |
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| 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 engraved in deep red-brown tones and centres on a large intaglio vignette of a male scientist at work in a laboratory, surrounded by glassware, flasks, retorts and apparatus arranged on a bench, evoking Swiss contributions to applied science. The denomination '500' appears in the upper corners, with the bank's name in German along the top border and in French along the lower border, while the Italian form is inscribed vertically in the left and right margins within decorative guilloche frames. |
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| Protection type | Watermark |
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| Comments |
The 8th series of Swiss National Bank notes, to which P#43A belongs, had an unusually protracted lifespan — introduced progressively from 1945 onward, the series remained legal tender until 1980, meaning individual notes could circulate for decades. The 500-franc denomination was always the highest-value note in everyday use during this period, the 1000-franc sitting above it but rarely seen outside banking transactions.
Orell Füssli has printed Swiss banknotes continuously since the 19th century, and their work on this series reflects the tight tolerances expected of a security printer operating under direct SNB oversight. Cotton substrate with watermark security was the sole mechanical anti-counterfeiting measure — relatively austere by postwar European standards, though Switzerland's monetary stability meant counterfeiting incentive was lower than in neighboring economies still rebuilding their currencies.