Banknote Billet France 500 francs Blaise Pascal 1983

Remarks:

5 épinglages, marques de rouille et plis

The 500 francs Pascal banknote is an issue of the Banque de France dated 2 June 1983, belonging to series D.194. This banknote was put into circulation as part of French monetary policy and represents one of the highest denominations of the French monetary system of the time.

This banknote pays tribute to Blaise Pascal, a 17th-century French mathematician, physicist, philosopher and writer, known in particular for his work on atmospheric pressure, projective geometry and probability theory, as well as for the invention of the arithmetic machine. His portrait features prominently on this banknote, reflecting France's desire to celebrate its great intellectual figures on its monetary instruments.

From a graphic standpoint, the banknote displays the portrait of Blaise Pascal in a central position, accompanied by representations evoking his scientific and philosophical work. The dominant colours of this banknote are green and brown, characteristic of this issue. The reverse of the banknote features iconographic elements related to Pascal's life and work, including references to his scientific experiments and to Port-Royal, a place associated with his Jansenist period.

The face value of 500 francs makes this banknote a high-denomination note for its time. The D.194 series allows precise identification of its issue batch within the overall production of this type of banknote, which was manufactured between 1968 and 1994, the year this series was gradually withdrawn from circulation. The issue date printed on the note, 02-06-1983, is an essential identification element for collectors and specialists in French fiduciary numismatics.