This listing is for the photographed 1944 Allied Military 2 Franc Banknote, issued during the final period of WWII in France. Block 2 issue, making this note a rarer find. Beautiful, colorful artwork. P#114b (Pick Number 114b).
In 1944, the liberating Allies introduced dollar-like paper money in denominations between 2 and 1000 francs, as well as a brass 2-franc coin.
After the Second World War, while 5, 10 and 20-franc notes were replaced by coins in 1950, as were the 50- and 100-franc notes in the mid-1950s. In 1954, the 10,000-franc notes were introduced.
The French franc was the currency of France until the euro was adopted in 1999 (by law, 2002 de facto). The Swiss franc is a major world currency today due to the prominence of Swiss financial institutions. The name is said to derive from the Latin inscription francorum rex (Style of the French sovereign: King of the Franks) used on early French coins and until the 18th century.
The French franc was originally a gold coin issued in France from 1360 until 1380, then a silver coin issued between 1575 and 1641. The franc finally became the national currency from 1795 until 1999. Though abolished as a legal coin by Louis XIII in 1641 in favor of the gold louis and silver écu, the term franc continued to be used. The franc was also minted for many of the former French colonies, such as Morocco, Algeria, French West Africa, and others. Today, after independence, many of these countries continue to use the franc as their standard denomination. Ironically, France itself does not as the adoption of the euro took over the currency.
This rarer version of an Allied Military banknote is a fantastic piece of history, making for an excellent addition to any collection!
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1944 Allied Military France 2 Franc Note - WWII Era French Bank Note, Block 2 - French Two Francs Allied Military Bank Note- P#114b