France - ATM Test

With the advent of the Automatic Teller Machine in 1985, printers had to provide sample banknotes to be used in testing the ability of the machine to correctly handle them. There are several series of these sample notes from Banque de France, printed in sizes to match current circulating banknotes.

IBM

DIS-01-B-02 200 Francs BANQUE POPULAIRE/IBM Issue
Sower and rising Sun at left, Marianne Silhouette at right

Printer: Société IBM
1971-1981
172 x 92mm
Uniface. Size of 200f Montesquieu

Watermark: Horizontal band

Roty, O. INV

(F)

Banque de France

The third, and finally successful, French Central Bank is the Banque de France (BdF). It was formed by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1800 and marked the return to the Franc, based on value of gold and silver once again. BdF has provided financial oversight (often called the "bank of banks") for all of France's territories through the years, coordinating with the central banks listed below, and stabilizing exchange rates from French Francs to CFA, CFP and now Euros. The Banque de France is one of the few central banks that actually prints its own banknotes, with facilities in Chamalières, France.

Berlioz

DIS-02-A-01 Hector Berlioz

Printer: BdF
1972-1985
172 x 92mm

Courbet, G. INV
Lambert, P. FEC

(F)

Roty, O. INV

(B)

Athena at Left

Series A: Black "ÉCHANTILLON" overprint in watermark area

DIS-03-A-01 50 Francs Athena at left

Printer: BdF
1985-1990
150 x 80mm
Size of 50f Quentin de la Tour

Watermark: Bust of Zeus

Laurent, S. INV

(F)

DIS-03-A-02 100 Francs Athena at left

Printer: BdF
1985-1990
160 x 85mm
Size of 100f Delacroix

Watermark: Bust of Zeus

Laurent, S. INV

(F)

DIS-03-A-03 200 Francs Athena at left

Printer: BdF
1985-1990
172 x 92mm
Intaglio
Size of 200f Montesquieu

Watermark: Bust of Zeus

Laurent, S. INV

(F)

Series D: Diagonal black "ÉCHANTILLON B" overprint on back

DIS-03-D-03 200 Francs Athena at left

Printer: BdF
1985-1990
172 x 90mm
Size of 200f Montesquieu

Watermark: Bust of Zeus

Laurent, S. INV

(F)

Series F: Blue "ÉCHANTILLON" overprint, "ECHANTILLON 1250", three black dots, two rectangular grids

DIS-03-F-01 50 Francs Athena at left

Printer: BdF
1985-1990
150 x 80mm
Size of 50f Quentin de la Tour

Watermark: Bust of Zeus

Laurent, S. INV

(F)

DIS-03-F-02 100 Francs Athena at left

Printer: BdF
1985-1990
160 x 85mm
Size of 100f Delacroix

Watermark: Bust of Zeus

Laurent, S. INV

(F)

DIS-03-F-03 200 Francs Athena at left

Printer: BdF
1985-1990
172 x 90mm
Size of 200f Montesquieu

Watermark: Bust of Zeus

Laurent, S. INV

(F)

Series H: Blue "ÉCHANTILLON", two diagonal black lines across face

DIS-03-H-02 100 Francs Athena at left

Printer: BdF
1985-1990
160 x 85mm
Size of 100f Delacroix

Watermark: Bust of Zeus

Laurent, S. INV

(F)

Series I: Blue "ÉCHANTILLON", typical BdF control and serial numbers

DIS-03-I-01 50 Francs Athena at left

Printer: BdF
1985-1990
150 x 80mm
Size of 50f Quentin de la Tour

Watermark: Bust of Zeus

Laurent, S. INV

(F)

Athena at Right

Series A: "Échantillon" twice horizontally, code numbers lower left

DIS-04-A-01 20 Francs Athena at Right

Printer: BdF
1990-1995
140 x 75mm
#10025, Size of 20f Debussy

Watermark: Antelope and ??

Laurent, S. INV

(F)

DIS-04-A-02 50 Francs Athena at Right

Printer: BdF
1990-1995
150 x 80mm
#10054, Size of 50f Quentin De La Tour

Watermark: Bust of Zeus

Laurent, S. INV

(F)

DIS-04-A-03 100 Francs Athena at right

Printer: BdF
1990-1995
160 x 85mm
#10103, Size of 100f Delacroix

Watermark: Bust of Zeus

Laurent, S. INV

(F)

DIS-04-A-04 200 Francs Athena at right

Printer: BdF
1990-1995
172 x 92mm
#10202, Size of 200f Montesquieu

Watermark: Bust of Zeus

Laurent, S. INV

(F)

DIS-04-A-05 500 Francs Athena at right

Printer: BdF
1990-1995
180 x 97mm
#10501, Size of 500f Pascal

Watermark: Bust of Zeus

Laurent, S. INV

(F)

Series B: "Échantillon" written vertically, code letters and barcode corresponding to W.A.S. country codes

DIS-04-B-01 50 Athena at Right

Printer: BdF
1990-1995
140 x 80mm
Code D (Mali), Size of 500f West African States Hydroelectric Dam and Tractor note

Laurent, S. INV

(F)

DIS-04-B-04 200 Athena at Right

Printer: BdF
1990-1995
140 x 80mm
Code H (Niger), Size of 500f West African States Hydroelectric Dam and Tractor note

Laurent, S. INV

(F)

Maurice Ravel - Franc size

Series A

DIS-05-A-01 50 Francs Maurice Ravel

Printer: BdF
1992-2001
123 x 80mm
Intaglio
Size of 50f Saint Exupéry

Watermark: Clock Face

DIS-05-A-02 100 Francs Maurice Ravel

Printer: BdF
1992-2001
133 x 80mm
Size of 100f Cézanne

Watermark: Clock Face

DIS-05-A-03 200 Francs Maurice Ravel

Printer: BdF
1992-2001
143 x 80mm
Size of 200f Eiffel

Watermark: Clock Face

DIS-05-A-04 500 Francs Maurice Ravel

Printer: BdF
1992-2001
153 x 80mm
Size of 500f Curie

Watermark: Clock Face

Maurice Ravel - Euro size

Series A: 5-20€. The printed image is the same for all notes, but cutting marks delimit the area for the 5 and 10€ sizes. The large bars on Series A, and squares the Series B notes are actually gold foil that appears black in scans.