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500 Francs - type 1829 white legend
| Issuer | Banque de France |
|---|---|
| Year | 1829 |
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| Composition | Paper |
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|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | BANQUE DE FRANCE cinq cents francs. GALLE F. |
| Reverse description | Plain white reverse with watermark security feature. No printed design elements are present, consistent with early 19th-century Banque de France note production. |
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| Comments |
The "white legend" designation distinguishes this type from later printings where the text panel backgrounds received additional tonal treatment — here the lettering sits directly against the unprinted paper, a deliberate choice that also served as the primary counterfeiting deterrent alongside the watermark. Normand was primarily an architect and architectural engraver, best known for his publications on classical ornament, which makes his involvement in banknote design somewhat peripheral to his main career. Galle, by contrast, had a long association with official French engraving through the Monnaie de Paris.
The 500 Franc denomination placed this note firmly outside everyday commerce — at issue it represented several months' wages for a skilled Parisian worker.