₣100 — One Hundred Francs
The artwork
Front: Pierre Corneille in the dress of the 1660s — long curling hair, lace-edged collar, a red cloak over dark doublet — set against a deep baroque colonnade of columns, arches and drawn curtains, the architecture of a theatre. "CENT FRANCS" at the upper left, "Banque de France" and the control number above the portrait, the serial W.1017 39190 repeated in the corners, and the date R.4-11-1976.R along the foot.
Back: Corneille again, in a scrolled cartouche of gilt foliage on an orange ground, with his native Rouen behind him: the Seine crowded with sailing craft to the left, the roofs of the old town and the spire of the cathedral to the right. Below, in the two lower corners, the Palais de Justice and a row of Rouen's timber-framed houses. A yellow panel carries the Article 139 counterfeiting warning.
In circulation
The Corneille hundred entered circulation in 1964 and was printed through the 1970s, this example dated November 1976. It gave way to the 100 francs Delacroix, issued from 1979, and was withdrawn from everyday use during the following decade.
Details
- CurrencyFranc (₣)
- DenominationOne Hundred Francs
- Collectedon the France journeys, 1991–2019
- IssuerBanque de France
- Series100 Francs Corneille, dated R.4-11-1976.R
- SignatureLe Caissier Général, Le Contrôleur Général and Le Secrétaire Général
- SecurityArticle 139 penal-code warning panel printed on the back