1000 Francs - type 1817 definitive

The type 1817 series marked Banque de France's first sustained high-denomination issue following the disruptions of the Napoleonic period, and the institutional decision to commission Firmin Didot — better known as a typographer and punchcutter than a banknote designer — reflects how much the bank's priorities at that moment leaned toward legibility and typographic authority over decorative engraving. Andrieu's credential as a medallist rather than a conventional plate engraver is equally telling.

Over 12 million printed across eight years is a substantial run for the period, but attrition was severe: heavy use, informal destruction, and the bank's own cancellation practices have made intact survivors genuinely uncommon. The single watermark was the era's primary anti-counterfeiting measure, and it proved insufficient — forgeries circulated widely enough to alarm the Banque's directors before the series was eventually retired.