500 Francs

The Banque Nationale de Belgique established its own in-house printing works in 1851, one of the earlier European central banks to do so — giving Brussels direct control over security production at a time when most peers still contracted abroad. This 500 Francs note falls within a thirteen-year issue window, suggesting the plates were kept in service well beyond initial release, a common practice when production costs were high and the denomination saw limited public handling.

Wullschleger's engraving work for Belgian issues of this period is technically accomplished; Hendrickx as designer is less frequently credited in the broader literature on nineteenth-century Belgian note production, making the attribution here worth recording.