Banknote Billet France 500 francs Blaise Pascal 1987

Remarks:

Plis et multiple épinglage

The 500 francs Pascal banknote is an issue of the Banque de France dated January 22, 1987, belonging to series B.257. This banknote is part of the Pascal series, one of the most iconic in French 20th-century numismatics, which was in circulation between 1968 and 1994.

The obverse of the banknote is dominated by the portrait of Blaise Pascal, a French mathematician, physicist and philosopher of the 17th century. His effigy is depicted with great care, accompanied by characteristic motifs evoking his scientific work, including his arithmetic machine, one of his most celebrated inventions. The face value of 500 francs is clearly indicated in several places on the banknote.

The reverse of the banknote features a composition illustrating Pascal's intellectual and scientific world, with references to his contributions to mathematics and physics. The dominant tones of the banknote are mainly shades of brown, green and blue, characteristic of this issue.

This banknote incorporates the security features typical of its era, including a watermark depicting Pascal's portrait, visible when held up to the light, as well as a security thread embedded in the paper. The typography and the fineness of the background lines reflect the level of engraving characteristic of Banque de France productions.

Series B.257 allows this banknote to be precisely identified within the overall production of this denomination. With a face value of 500 francs, this banknote represented one of the highest denominations in circulation at that time in the French monetary system, before the transition to the euro in 2002.