Banknote Billet France 100 francs 1940

Remarks:

Plis, multiple épinglages et salissures

The 100 Francs Sully banknote is an example issued by the Banque de France, dated January 11, 1940, belonging to series Z.6158. This banknote belongs to a pivotal period in French history, on the eve of France's effective entry into the war, making it a particularly significant historical and numismatic testament.

The Sully type takes its name from Maximilien de Béthune, Duke of Sully, the famous finance minister of Henry IV, whose effigy adorned this note. This iconographic choice reflects the Banque de France's desire to draw on emblematic figures of French economic and financial management to illustrate its banknotes.

Visually, this 100 francs banknote displays the typographic and artistic characteristics typical of Banque de France productions of that era, featuring meticulous engraving work and security elements integrated into the paper. The graphic composition combines Sully's portrait with complex decorative motifs, characteristic of the style of French banknotes from the interwar period and the early 1940s.

The face value of 100 francs represented a significant sum in everyday French economic life at the time. Banknotes from this series were put into circulation in a context of economic and military tension, which partly explains the often limited survival of well-preserved examples.

Series Z.6158 allows for the precise identification of this banknote's position in the issuance chronology, making it essential information for collectors and historians wishing to trace the monetary history of France during this troubled period. The issue date of January 11, 1940 confers an undeniable documentary value upon this example.