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500 Francs Neuchâtel Cantonal Bank
| Issuer | Banque Cantonale Neuchâteloise |
|---|---|
| Year | 1892-1899 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 500 Francs |
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| Composition | 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 | Uniface green print with two facing portrait vignettes of classical female heads set within large guilloche medallions at left and right, linked by an intricate lathe-work underprint. The denomination is rendered in three languages across the centre in bold letterpress, flanked by repeating numeral 500 patterns in the guilloche borders. Corner cartouches at top and bottom repeat the numeral 500 within ornamental frames. |
| Reverse lettering | 500 500 CINQ CENTS FRANCS FÜNFHUNDERT FRANKEN CINQUE CENTO FRANCHI 500 500 |
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| Comments |
The Banque Cantonale Neuchâteloise was one of the cantonal banks operating before the Swiss National Bank's founding in 1907 consolidated note-issuing authority at the federal level. Under the 1881 Bank Notes Act, cantonal and private banks were permitted to issue their own currency, but subject to federal inspection and mandatory coverage requirements — a system that produced dozens of distinct Swiss issuing institutions during this period, each with its own series.
Bradbury Wilkinson's involvement here is characteristic of the firm's extensive work for smaller European issuers who lacked domestic security printing capacity. The 500 Franc denomination would have seen limited day-to-day use in the 1890s — a sum equivalent to several months' wages for most workers — which partly accounts for the relative scarcity of surviving examples from this series today.