Banknote Billet France 200 francs Charles Montesquieu, écrivain et philosophe français 1983

Remarks:

Plis et salissures

The 200 francs Montesquieu banknote was issued by the Banque de France from 1983 onwards. The example presented here bears the date 1985 and belongs to series B.028. It is part of the French tradition of depicting on banknotes personalities who have left their mark on the intellectual and cultural history of the country.

This banknote pays tribute to Charles de Secondat, Baron de Montesquieu, an 18th-century French writer and philosopher, best known for his major work The Spirit of the Laws, published in 1748, in which he developed the theory of the separation of powers. His portrait features prominently on this banknote, reflecting the importance the French Republic placed on the great figures of the Enlightenment.

The graphic composition of the banknote draws on iconographic elements directly linked to the life and work of Montesquieu. Architectural and ornamental references are present, characteristic of French banknote production of that era, distinguished by particular attention to engraved details and security patterns integrated into the paper currency.

The face value of this banknote is 200 francs, which made it, at the time of its issue, a medium-to-high denomination in the French monetary system. The banknote remained in circulation until the gradual replacement of the French franc by the euro in the early 2000s.

The B.028 series allows precise identification of the print batch to which this example belongs, a useful piece of information for collectors wishing to distinguish between the different variants of this issue. This type of banknote is today sought after by collectors specialising in 20th-century French numismatics.