| 10 francs | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Country | |
| Value |
10.00 francs |
| Years |
|
| Specifications | |
| Material |
|
| Orientation |
|
| Width |
|
| Height |
|
| Appearance | |
| Color |
|
| Obverse |
|
| Reverse |
|
| v · d · e | |
The 10 franc/Franken/franco banknote is a current circulation note that has been issued in multiple types by the Swiss Confederation (Switzerland) since 1914. The initial 1914 notes were issued in three language varieties – French, German, and Italian – by the Federal Treasury in Bern. In 1921, the Swiss National Bank (SNB) authorized the creation of a reserve 10 franc note of the second series that ultimately did not see any circulation. It was not until the fifth series of Swiss banknotes, introduced in 1956, that a note denominated at 10 francs was put into circulation. Such a note was printed from 1955 to 1977 and ultimately recalled in 1980. The issuance of the sixth series of notes, beginning in 1979, introduced a new 10 franc banknote, which would be produced until 1992 and recalled in 2000. In case of widespread counterfeiting, a reserve series of Swiss banknotes, including a ten franc note, was printed in 1984; however, the need for a new series to suddenly be introduced never presented itself, so the seventh series notes were never circulated. The current 10 franc note of the eighth series has been issued since 1997, although production actually began in 1995. As early as 2015 the ninth series of Swiss paper money is expected to be released, and with it a new 10 franc banknote.
The sixth and eighth series 10 franc notes still hold the status of legal tender; however, the former will lose this status on May 1, 2020, and the latter will at a currently undesignated time. The earlier fifth series banknote officially lost its face value on May 1, 2000, whereas the unissued second and seventh series notes never held any face value. The 1914 10 franc notes of the Federal Treasury were officially demonetized in 1926.
History[]
Federal Treasury notes (1914)[]
In 1914, the Federal Treasury of Switzerland commissioned Bradbury Wilkinson and Company in London to print a series of banknotes denominated at 5, 10, and 20 francs. Such notes were designed by Ernst Stückelberg (1831–1903), a Swiss painter who resided in Basel. Due to Switzerland's initial adoption of three official languages – French, German, and Italian – versions of the note were printed in each of these tongues. Each type is horizontally-aligned, having a width of 128 millimeters and a height of 85 millimeters. The notes of all three language varieties are predominantly blue in color, printed over light tan paper. Not very many examples of the 10 franc notes of the Federal Treasury were issued, making pieces carry large price tags at even the lowest of grades. They were recalled from circulation on December 2, 1920, and deemed worthless on January 1, 1926.
Featured at the center left of the note's obverse, inside of an oval-shaped decorative frame, is an illustration of the face of the goddess Liberty (referred to as Libertas in some publications), a female representation of her namesake. A hat covers her dark-colored hair and a pearl necklace is laced around her neck; on her torso she wears traditional garb. Displayed in a frame similar to that enclosing Liberty, at the center right of the obverse, is an image of William Tell, a Swiss folk hero known for his marksmanship with a crossbow. In this upper-body depiction of Tell, he is shown bearded, wearing a hat on his head and a traditional outfit on his body. In his right hand he holds up a bolt, and with his left arm he holds his crossbow to his body. The numeral "10" is written in a large, stylistic font and surrounded by a decorative, eight-notched border above and below the depictions of Liberty and William Tell, equating to four of the numerals. At the top of the note, between the numerals in the upper corners, is a decorative border that also features the number "10" six times in small circular boundaries. Superimposed over the decorative border is the coat of arms of Switzerland – which consists of a square cross inside of a shield. Along the bottom of the note is a similar border, but in the place of the shield at the top of the note is an additional "10". Printed twice in black directly underneath the uppermost border of the obverse is the seven-digit serial number, preceded by the abbreviation "No". The title of the Federal Treasury is printed below both serial numbers, reading "LA CAISSE FÉDÉRALE" on French notes, "DIE EIDGENÖSSISCHE STAATSKASSE" on German notes, and "LA CASSA FEDERALE" on Italian notes. The French print is written with a wavy design, curving downward, then upward, and then downward again. The Italian text is similarly printed, but instead initially arches upward, then downward, and then upward once again, whereas the German text curves once, in an upward direction. Displayed in the middle of the note is a light blue underprint of the numeral "10", written in a similar font as the number is written in the four corners of the obverse. Superimposing it is either the French text "payera au porteur DIX FRANCS en especes ayant cours legal", the German "zahlt dem Ueberbringer ZEHN FRANKEN in gesetzlicher Baarschaft", or the Italian "Pagherà in contanti al portatore DIECI FRANCHI valuta legale". Each of these three printings roughly translates to English as "will pay cash to the bearer in ten francs of legal currency". The capitalized value is inscribed within a decorative, rectangular border, whereas the text before it is written in a cursive font above the border, and the following text is printed in the same manner below the rectangular boundary. The text above and below the border is inscribed on one line for all three language varieties, with the exception of the Italian, which uses two lines above the rectangle. The name of the city of Bern is written below the aforementioned statement as either "BERNE" in French, "BERN" in German, or "BERNA" in Italian, and followed respectively by "le 10 Août 1914.", "den 10 Aug. 1914.", and "Berna, 10 Agosto 1914.". Each signifies that the note was issued at Bern on August 10, 1914. The name of Bern is written in a font nearly twice as large as the date. Present below the name of Bern and the date of issuance, near the bottom border of the note, is the signature of Giuseppe Motta (1871–1940), then head of the Swiss Federal Council, at the left, and that of the leader of the Federal Treasury at the right. The signature of Motta is captioned above in French as "DEPART. DES FINANCES", in German as "FINANZDEPARTEMENT", and in Italian as "DIPART. DELLE FINANZE", while the signature of the Federal Treasury's leader is accompanied above by "CAISSE FÉDÉRALE" in French, "EIDG. STAATSKASSE" in German, and "CASSA FEDERALE" in Italian.
Displayed in the center of the reverse is a circular stylistic element that consists of intricate patterns combined with several small "10" numerals representing the note's value. The German value "ZEHN FRANKEN" is printed inside of a rectangular border with three-notched ends that superimposes the circular design element. Above this is the French value "DIX FRANCS", and below it is the Italian "DIECI FRANCHI". The number "10" is printed to the left and right of the frame containing "ZEHN FRANKEN", printed in the same font as the larger numerals on the obverse and enclosed within an eight-pointed frame bearing both small numerals and patterns. A light brown border wraps around the edge of the note, and in this border the value of the note is repeatedly written as "ZEHN FRANKEN • DIX FRANCS • DIECI FRANCHI" in that order.
Second series reserve note (1921)[]
In 1911, the second series of banknotes of the Swiss National Bank was introduced. However, in the case of widespread counterfeiting, the Bank had reserve 10 and 40 franc notes printed. Contracted to produce the 10 franc reserve piece was the London-based engraving company Waterlow and Sons. Unlike on the 1914 notes of the Federal Treasury, the three official languages of Switzerland were placed on a single type of banknote, as opposed to three different types. The 1921 note has horizontal alignment, with a width of 135 millimeters and a height of 82 millimeters. It is mostly red-brown in color and printed over a yellow underprint and light-colored paper. As the gold 10 franc Vreneli coin was widely used in Switzerland at the time, and a major counterfeiting issue never occurred, the 10 franc note of the second series was ultimately not put into circulation, and many examples were destroyed. Modern paper money price guides, such as the Standard Catalog of World Paper Money, often include the 10 franc reserve notes in their listings, but do not give prices for any grade because no examples have been sold to the public.
Featured at the bottom left of the note's obverse, inside of a circular frame, or "medallion", is a right-facing illustration of a woman from the Canton of Neuchâtel with a wide-brimmed hat resting on her head, a necklace on her neck, and traditional Neuchâtel attire on her upper body. Such an image is derived from the engraving Femme revenant du marché, originally published by artists Mathias Gabriel Lory (1784–1846) and Friedrich Moritz (1783–1855) in 1823. This framed illustration is surrounded by an intricate design that makes up the leftmost border of the note's obverse. Printed above the image of the Neuchâtel woman is the numeral "10" inside of a decorated, flower-like boundary. The upper border of the note arches upward at the bottom and is superimposed by the Swiss coat of arms. A linear pattern is printed into the right border of the obverse, between the numeral "10" inside of a floral boundary in the upper and lower right corners of the note. The border at the bottom of the note is also elaborately designed, with a round design element in its center. Arched upward along the curve of the banknote's uppermost boundary is the German title of the Swiss National Bank, "SCHWEIZERISCHE NATIONALBANK". Printed horizontally below it, in a smaller font, is the Italian "BANCA NAZIONALE SVIZZRA", and underneath that, in a font larger than the Italian, is the French "BANQUE NATIONALE SUISSE". The German words "GESETZGEBUNG ÜBER DIE SCHWEIZ NAT.BANK" ("Legislation on the Swiss National Bank") are written on two lines, separated between "DIE" and "SCHWEIZ", below the word "BANQUE" and the first two letters of "NATIONALE" in the French bank title above. These German words are written in a small font, and each line is enclosed within a rectangular border. In the middle of the note the German "ZEHN FRANKEN", French "DIX FRANCS", and Italian "DIECI FRANCHI" are printed larger inside of their own rectangular boundaries. The German and French values are placed on one line, the German located at the left and the French at the right, while the Italian value is given its own line below. Written in the area underneath the French and Italian values is "BERN UND ZÜRICH" ("Bern and Zürich") on one line and "DEN 1 APRIL 1921" ("The First of April") on the second, with both lines inside their own rectangular frames. Such text signifies that the note would have been issued at Bern and Zürich, and was printed on April 1, 1921. Near the bottom border of the note in the order listed are the signatures of K. Bornhauser, the Chief Cashier; Johann-Daniel Hirter (1855–1926), the President of the Bank Council; and either Gottlieb Bachmann (1874–1947) or Charles Schnyder von Wartensee (1874–1957), members of the Board of Directors. Captioned above Bornhauser's signature is "DER HAUPTKASSIER" ("Chief Cashier"), printed above Hirter's is "DER PRÄSIDENT DES BANKRATES" ("The President of the Bank Council"), and written above the third signature is "EIN MITGLIED DES DIREKTORIUMS" ("A member of the Board of Directors"). Featured in the background of the note's obverse is a floral design and a large numeral "10", superimposed by much of the aforementioned text.
A decorative border is present along the edges of the note's reverse. In the center of the upper and lower borders is a round design element. Inside of this element on the top border is the coat of arms of Switzerland, slightly different in design from the arms presented on the obverse. The numeral "10" is printed in each of the corners of the note, inside of flower-like boundaries decorated with elaborate designs. A large "10" is also present in the middle of the reverse, printed over an ornate background. Encircling it is an oval-shaped border bearing the titles of the Swiss National Bank in German, French, and Italian. The German "SCHWEIZERISCHE NATIONALBANK" is printed in a clockwise direction at the top of the border, while the French "BANQUE NATIONALE SUISSE" and Italian "BANCA NAZIONALE SVIZZERA" are written in that order in a counterclockwise direction at the bottom. Each bank title is separated from the other by a small bullet point. At both sides of the oval-shaped border is a decorative rosette, and printed in small text below the lower border of the note and to the left of the bottom right "10" is "WATERLOW & SONS LIMITED LONDON". The presence of this text signifies the note was produced by Waterlow and Sons in London, England.
Examples are often stamped diagonally with the word "SPECIMEN" on one or both sides.
Fifth series note (1955–1977)[]
In 1956 the Swiss National Bank introduced its fifth series of banknotes to the public, although notes were being produced as early as 1955. Included in this series was a 10 franc note that was officially put into circulation on October 1 of that year, making it the first banknote of the denomination to be issued by the SNB and see use in general commerce. Orell Füssli, a printing company located in Zürich, was commissioned to produce the 10 franc notes of the fifth series, and Swiss artist Hermann Eidenbenz (1902–1993) was called upon to produce the designs. The banknote was produced from August 25, 1955, to January 6, 1977. It was recalled from circulation on May 1, 1980, and demonetized exactly twenty years later, on May 1, 2000. The banknote has horizontal orientation, having a width of 137 millimeters and a height of 75 millimeters. Most of the design elements are purple in color and printed over a red-brown underprint and light-colored paper.
Unlike the earlier 10 franc notes, the fifth series note does not bear any borders to mark its edges. Instead, a background consisting of several curved and wavy lines makes up a rectangular area in which elements are located. In each of the note's corners on the obverse is a small numeral "10" in red-brown ink, slanted at an angle. The numerals at the upper left and bottom right corners are slanted in an upward direction, whereas those in the bottom left and upper right corners are in a downward direction. Displayed in purple ink at the center right, inside of a circular border the same color as the note's paper, is a left-facing depiction of Gottfried Keller (1819–1890), a Swiss poet and writer. He is shown bearded with a pair of glasses resting on his face and wearing a suit and tie. Outside of the frame are several curves in dark purple or dark blue ink. A Swiss cross, similar in appearance to the cross found on the flag and coat of arms of Switzerland, is shown at the left side of the obverse, outlined in purple and surrounded by decorative purple and blue arches. The French title of the Swiss National Bank, "BANQUE NATIONALE SUISSE", is written boldly in purple at the top of the note, adjacent to the "10" in the upper left corner. Underneath it, the German "SCHWEIZERISCHE NATIONALBANK" is printed in the same font and color, followed by the Italian "BANCA NAZIONALE SVIZZERA" on a line below. The word "SERIE", followed by a number and a letter, is present in black below the word "BANCA" in the Italian title, and the six-digit serial number is included underneath the last six letters of the word "SVIZZERA", also in black ink. Below the series and the serial number, the value of the note is printed in purple in three languages in a cursive font. The French "DIX FRANCS" and Italian "DIECI FRANCHI" are printed on one line in that order, separated by a small point, while the German "ZEHN FRANKEN" is inscribed on its own line below. All of these values superimpose a large, red-brown numeral "10" that is somewhat three-dimensional in style. The series and serial number are once again featured below the values, but instead the latter is written at the left and the former at the right. Printed in black ink below the second inclusion of the series and serial number is "BERN UND ZÜRICH" followed by the date, written in German in a day-month-year format (i.e. "28. MÄRZ 1963"). Such text signifies issuance at the cities of Bern and Zürich and production on the date displayed. At the very bottom of the note are the signatures of the Chief Cashier, President of the Bank Council, and a member of the Board of Directors in that order. Examples produced from 1955 to 1965 bear the signature of Otto Kunz as Chief Cashier, while later pieces include the signature of Rudolf Aebersold. Alfred Müller's signature appears as the President of the Bank Council on notes of 1955 to 1959, whereas Brenno Galli's signature is displayed on later issues. There are three possibilities for the third signature for each year of production, but over the nineteen years of production the signatures of nine individuals in the Board of Directors were presented on the fifth series 10 franc note. "Der Hauptkassier" accompanies the first signature field, "Der Präsident des Bankrates" the second, and "Ein Mitglied des Direktoriums" the third. Printed upwards in small, red-brown text at the right side of the note, outside of the background, is "ART. INSTITUT ORELL FÜSSLI AG ZÜRICH", which signifies production at Orell Füssli in Zürich.
The same background utilized on the obverse of the fifth series 10 franc note is present on the reverse. Encompassing a majority of the space on the reverse is an illustration of a Bennet plant (Geum urbanum), a type of avens that grows naturally in Switzerland as well as elsewhere in Europe and the Middle East. Printed in purple ink, this depiction shows the Bennet's full anatomy, displaying its leaves and flowers attached to stems and its roots. A "10" with a three-dimensional style is featured to the right of the illustration, its shadows mostly purple in color but also blue at certain points. It is surrounded by several decorative curves, some entirely purple and others mostly purple with some blue. The title of the Swiss National Bank is written in purple ink in French, German, and Italian on each of the edges of the note. The German "SCHWEIZERISCHE NATIONALBANK" is printed on one line at the top center of the note, while the French "BANQUE NATIONALE SUISSE" is written at the bottom center. The Italian "BANCA NAZIONALE SVIZZERA" is present at both the left and right of the reverse, written vertically and on two lines. The title at the left continues in an upward direction, while the one at the left extends downward. Also, the final letters in "SVIZZERA" at the right are often blue in color due to being in the proximity of the partially multicolored "10". Near the bottom right corner of the note, in small print, is the signature of Hermann Eidenbenz. Written upward at the right side of the note, outside of the background, is the French text "ORELL FUSSLI ARTS GRAPHIQUES S.A. ZURICH", which essentially bears the same meaning as the German text in the same location on the obverse.
A handful of 1955 specimen examples are known to exist. These differ from their circulation counterparts by the stamping in red of the word "SPECIMEN" on the obverse and reverse and the lack of the presence of a serial number on the obverse.
| Signatures by date | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Signature 1 | Signature 2 | Signature 3 |
| 1955 | Otto Kunz | Alfred Müller | Motta Rossy Schwegler |
| 1956 | Max Iklé Motta Schwegler | ||
| 1958 | |||
| 1959 | |||
| 1960 | Brenno Galli | ||
| 1961 | |||
| 1963 | |||
| 1964 | |||
| 1965 | |||
| 1967 | Rudolf Aebersold | Alexandre Hay Max Iklé Edwin Stopper | |
| 1968 | Alexandre Hay Fritz Leutwiler Edwin Stopper | ||
| 1969 | |||
| 1970 | |||
| 1971 | |||
| 1972 | |||
| 1973 | |||
| 1974 | |||
| 1977 | Pierre Languetin Fritz Leutwiler Leo Schürmann | ||
Sixth series note (1979–1992)[]
The Swiss National Bank introduced the sixth series of Swiss banknotes in 1976 with the issuance of its updated 100 franc note. It was not until November 5, 1979 that the 10 franc banknote of the sixth series was put into circulation. Commissioned by the SNB to print the note was Orell Füssli in Zürich. A competition was held to determine the designs of the sixth series, and the submissions sent in by artists Ernst (1935–) and Ursula Hiestand (1936–) were selected, although they did not officially win the competition. The banknote was produced from 1979 to 1992, and was recalled beginning on May 1, 2000. It is expected to be demonetized on May 1, 2020. The note, like the others of the sixth series, is unique in that one side – the obverse – has horizontal orientation while the other – the reverse – has vertical orientation. Also, although Romansh was recognized as a national language in Switzerland in 1938, no banknote series until the sixth series included the language. The 10 franc note has a width of 137 millimeters and a height of 65 millimeters when held horizontally. It is predominantly orange-brown or red-brown in color and printed on white paper. Certain, less prominent design elements are printed in other colors of ink, such as green or light blue.
Featured at the center right of the note's obverse is a large, left-facing illustration of Leonhard Euler (1707–1783), a well-known Swiss mathematician and physicist, similar in appearance to the 1753 Portrait of Leonhard Euler by Jakob Emanuel Handmann (1718–1781). The numeral "10" superimposes a portion of the image at the lower right corner of the banknote. To the left is a partially green and orange background consisting of Euler diagrams captioned with "A", "B", and "C", and drawings of several lines coming from a single point and concluding at a curved boundary. One of the "C" items is white in color. A large, three-dimensional numeral "10" is displayed at the top center of the note, inside the area of the background. Its shadow is printed in orange-brown or red-brown ink while the number is a light in color, and the designs on the background underneath are visible through the "10". The caption "Leonhard Euler" is printed in blue below the large numeral, and below that is "1707–1783", signifying the lifespan of Euler. Printed in an upward direction in purple at the bottom center of the note is the German value "ZEHN FRANKEN", and written to the right of it in a similar manner, but with blue and red ink, is the Romansh value "DIESCH FRANCS". Directly outside of the area with the background, near the left of the large "10", is a small, touch-perceptible red/orange dot that can be used by the visually-impaired for identifying the value of the note. Printed vertically and upward in orange or red ink at the left edge of the obverse is the German bank title "SCHWEIZERISCHE NATIONALBANK". Accompanying it to the right is the Romansh "BANCA NAZIUNALA SVIZRA", written in the same manner. A small Swiss cross in red or orange is present above the Romansh text, to the immediate right of the "K" in the German "NATIONALBANK". The area between the bank titles and the aforementioned touch-perceptible dot is deliberately empty. When held against the light, a watermark of Leonhard Euler becomes visible in this portion of the note.
Printed horizontally in red ink at the top of the reverse is the French bank title "BANQUE NATIONALE SUISSE", and written in the same format on a line below is the Italian "BANCA NAZIONALE SVIZZERA", followed by a small Swiss cross identical in appearance to the cross presented on the obverse. Directly below the Italian title is a blank area in which a watermark becomes visible. The signatures of the President of the Bank Council and a member of the Board of Directors are featured in orange/red in the order listed below the blank area, the former captioned above by the French "Le président du Conseil" ("The President of the Council") and the latter accompanied by "Un membre de la Direction générale" ("A member of the Board of Directors"). Both of these captions are printed on two lines, the first separated between "president" and "du" and the second between "la" and "Direction". The signature of Edmund Wyss is present under "Le président du Conseil" on notes printed from 1979 to 1986; pieces produced in 1987 bear the signature of François Schaller (1928–2006), while notes printed from 1990 to 1992 carry the signature of Peter Gerber (1923–2012). Over the ten years of production, the signatures of six individuals have appeared under the caption "Un membre de la Direction générale". Of these, Jean Zwahlen's signature, which is present on some notes made from 1987 to 1992, comes in two varieties: one measuring 15 millimeters and the other 18 millimeters. Written in black ink to the right of the signatures is the seven-digit serial number, preceded by the last two digits of the date and a letter. Below all of the aforementioned elements is a colored area in which the prominent features of the reverse are located. This area, decorated at portions with several wavy lines, features a large illustration of a water turbine that was initially sketched by Leonhard Euler, signifying Euler's contributions to fluid physics. Next to the turbine, and even superimposing parts of it, is a depiction of a ray diagram with an object in front of five converging lenses and the object's resultant image. Such a depiction represents Euler's work with optics. Featured in the center of the reverse, superimposing the turbine but covered partially by the ray diagram, is a representation of a model drawn by Euler of the solar system, showing the planets of Mercury (not accompanied by a symbol on the note), Venus (♀), Earth (♁), Mars (♂), Jupiter (♃), and Saturn (♄), as well as Halley's Comet, in their respective orbits around the sun. Also displayed in the illustration is the Moon (☾) orbiting around Earth, the four known moons of Jupiter during Euler's lifetime – Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto – traveling around the planet, and the five known moons of Saturn of Euler's time – Tethys, Dione, Rhea, Titan, and Iapetus – circling Saturn. Erroneously, a fifth moon is shown in Jupiter's orbits. In between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter is a white oval, which corresponds to the location of the white "C" item on the note's obverse. The inclusion of the solar system identifies Euler's contributions to astrology. The numeral "10" is printed in a large font at the upper right corner of the colored area, the shadow colored red and the remainder showing the designs of the background underneath. The French value "DIX FRANCS" is printed in a downward direction at the upper left corner of the background, whereas the Italian "DIECI FRANCHI" is inscribed upward at the lower right corner of the note. The serial number is printed once again in blue ink over the image of the water turbine. Written in small, orange or red print at the very bottom of the note, outside of the colored area, is "E + U HIESTAND" followed by "© Banque Nationale Suisse" and "Orell Füssli Arts Graphiques S.A. Zurich". Such text signifies the designs were made by Ernst and Ursula Hiestand and the note is owned by the Swiss National Bank and was printed by Orell Füssli.
| Signatures by date | ||
|---|---|---|
| Date | Signature 1 | Signature 2 |
| 1979 | Edmund Wyss | Pierre Languetin Fritz Leutwiler Leo Schürmann |
| 1980 | ||
| 1981 | Pierre Languetin Fritz Leutwiler Markus Lusser | |
| 1982 | ||
| 1983 | ||
| 1986 | Pierre Languetin Markus Lusser Hans Meyer | |
| 1987 | François Schaller | Markus Lusser Hans Meyer Jean Zwahlen |
| 1990 | Peter Gerber | |
| 1991 | ||
| 1992 | ||
Seventh series reserve note (1983)[]
In 1983, the Swiss National Bank commissioned Orell Füssli to print the seventh series of Swiss franc banknotes. Each note was designed by Roger (1943–) and Elisabeth Pfund (1946–2006), the winners of the 1970/1971 design competition for the sixth series. The seventh series consisted solely of reserve notes that were printed in case widespread counterfeiting occurred. At such a time, the old notes would have been withdrawn by the SNB and replaced with the precautionary seventh series banknotes. However, no major incidents occurred, and the notes of the seventh series ultimately were not circulated. When the Swiss National Bank eventually decided to develop new security features for Swiss paper money instead of printing reserve series, most of the seventh series notes were destroyed and the Bank released their details to the public. Like the reserve 10 franc note of 1921, the piece printed in 1983 is often included in the listings of certain paper money catalogs, but values are not given because no examples of the seventh series 10 franc note have ever been sold. The banknote has horizontal orientation, having a width of 137 millimeters and a height of 65 millimeters. It is predominantly red-brown in color over white paper, although several colors are used in lesser amounts on both sides of the note.
Like the sixth series note, there is a colored portion on both sides of the seventh series 10 franc banknote, located at the right on the obverse and the left on the reverse. Featured at the center right of the colored area on the obverse is a large, left-facing portrait of Leonhard Euler that shows his face and portions of his upper body. To the left of the illustration is a large drawing of a polyhedron, a three-dimensional shape with flat faces, representing some of Euler's work with graph theory. It has a translucent effect, as the background underneath is visible through the shape. Also, the letter "a" is printed in white over one of the edges of the polyhedron, an "s" is written over a vertex, and an "h" is present on a face. Each of these letters represents its respective part in Euler's original polyhedron equation , which today is commonly represented as . Several smaller polyhedra are present in the colored area of the obverse, forming a background of sorts. Featured to the left of the large polyhedron is a grouping of 81 objects divided into different square "layers". The outermost layer consists of red crescents (with one white crescent at the top left), while the one inside that features blue crescents and an object that is similar to a flower. The third layer bears orange flower-like objects, whereas the fourth shows similar red objects and some cross-like objects. In the center of the grouping is a Swiss cross in white. Featured in the background of the colored area is an overview of the city of Königsberg, Prussia (now Kaliningrad, Russia) from Euler's time period. The portions of the city underneath the large polyhedron are somewhat more visible than others, as the buildings and roads are filled and lined in darker colors. The image of the city represents the Seven Bridges of Königsberg, a mathematical problem resolved by Euler that concerned whether one could walk on all seven bridges connecting an island to the rest of Königsberg. Its inclusion on the banknote is to further emphasize Euler's contributions to graph theory. A large blue "10" consisting of several vertical bars is present at the bottom left of the colored area, superimposing parts of the grouping of objects and the polyhedron. The German "Schweizerische Nationalbank" is printed in red-brown ink at the top of the colored portion of the obverse, a lighter-colored "10" written to the left and a solid border below. In a similar manner, the Romansh "Banca Naziunala Svizra" is present at the bottom of the colored area with a "10" to the left and a solid border above. Printed in an upward direction outside of the colored portion of the note, near the top of the note, is the caption "Leonhard Euler" followed by "1707–1783". The signatures of Edmund Wyss, the President of the Bank Council, and a member of the Board of Directors are shown in red-brown at the bottom of the note, to the left of the colored portion, the former captioned above by the German "Der Präsident des Bankrates" and the latter accompanied by "Ein Mitglied des Direktoriums". Each of these texts is printed on two lines, the first separated between "Präsident" and "des" and the second between "Mitglied" and "des". Written in an upward direction at the left edge of the note is the German value "ZEHN FRANKEN", a blue numeral "10" in front of it and a solid red-brown border to the left. The Romansh "DIESCH FRANCS" is printed downward in the same color at the opposite side of the obverse, with a red "10" near the beginning and a solid border next to it. Near the top of the border at the left side of the note is a small touch-perceptible circle that would have facilitated for the visually impaired the identification of the banknote.
A 9 × 14 table for calculating numbers makes up the background of the colored area of the reverse of the note, as do several wavy lines. The squares of the table are of varying colors and each bears different numbers. Also in the background of the note are four oval-shaped objects. A large black gamma (Γ) comprised of several "n" and "∞" (infinity) symbols is displayed in the colored area, representing the gamma function, which Euler worked on during his lifetime. Superimposing this gamma in black ink is the Latin text "Progreffionis, cuius terminus ordine indicatur per terminus generalis est " (English: "Since the general term of the progression, of which the term with the order n is indicated by 1.2.3...n, then the general term is ∫..."), which was taken from Euler's mathematical paper De Progressionibus Transcendentibus, Sev Quarum. A depiction of the solar system is present to the right of the large gamma, as is a large numeral "10" composed of black horizontal bars which slightly superimposes the former-mentioned illustration. The French "Banque Nationale Suisse" is printed in red in a border at the top of the note, followed by a blue "10", while the Italian "Banca Nazionale Svizzera" is written at the bottom of a note with a blue "10" next to it. Printed in an upward direction to the right of the colored area, near the top of the note, is "R+E Pfund", signifying the banknote's designs were drawn by Roger and Elisabeth Pfund. The Italian value "DIECI FRANCHI" is printed in red ink in a downward direction at the right border of the note, accompanied by a blue "10" traveling in the same direction and a border to the left. The French value "DIX FRANCS", however, is included at the opposite side of the note, a "10" in front of it and a border to its right. The seven digit serial number, preceded by the last two numbers of the date and a letter, is written in black adjacent to the colored area. Printed below in a smaller, reddish font is "© Banque Nationale Suisse", which is followed on a line below by "Orell Füssli Arts Graphiques S.A. Zurich". Both of these texts signify that the note is owned by the Swiss National Bank and was printed at Orell Füssli.
Eighth series note (1995–present)[]
- See also: Swiss eighth series banknotes
The current eighth series of banknotes was introduced by the Swiss National Bank in 1995 with the issuance of the series' 50 franc note. Although printing of the 10 franc note (pictured above) began at Orell Füssli that year and into 1996, it was not issued until April 8, 1997. The designs selected for the note were drawn by Swiss artist Jörg Zintzmeyer (1947–2009). Since 1995, the banknote has been produced every few years, the latest time being in 2012. An official date of recall has yet to be given, but is expected to occur shortly after the introduction of the upcoming ninth series. Also, the date when the note is to be demonetized has not yet been determined either. In the Standard Catalog of World Paper Money, different pick numbers are designated for the notes produced in the 1990s and the 21st century notes, even though they differ only in the date. The current 10 franc note is the first of its denomination to have vertical orientation on both the obverse and reverse. It has a width of 74 millimeters and a height of 126 millimeters. The note is mostly printed in yellow ink over white paper, but other colors, such as blue and orange, are prominent as well.
Unlike the earlier sixth and seventh series 10 franc banknotes, there is not a large colored portion at one side of the obverse and reverse; virtually the entire note is colored. Featured at the bottom center of the obverse is a large illustration of Le Corbusier (born Charles-Édouard Jeanneret-Gris; 1887–1965), a Swiss-born French artist known for pioneering modern architecture and designing various works of art and furniture. In the depiction, he is shown facing with his fingers resting on his glasses, which are pulled above his eyes. Superimposing the bottom of the likeness is a blue circle with a dot in the center. This touch-perceptible element is included to facilitate recognition for the visually impaired. At the upper left corner of the note, printed in gray ink, is an image of Le Corbusier sketching out a design. Eight tabs labeled "A" to "H" are located along the left side of the note, and next to each the value "10" is printed in differing types of special ink. The French bank title "BANQUE NATIONALE SUISSE" is printed upward in brown ink to the right of the larger image of Le Corbusier, and written in the same manner next to that, but in blue ink, is the Italian "BANCA NAZIONALE SVIZZERA". A space empty of any designs or text is located directly above these bank titles, but above that space the values "Dix Francs" and "Dieci Franchi" are printed in the locations and colors of their respective bank titles. The counterfeiting notice "Les billets de banque sont protégés par le droit penal." is printed on two lines in small text above the former value, while "Le banconote sono protette dal diritto penale." is written in a similar fashion near the latter value. The French inscription is separated between the words "sont" and "protégés", while the Italian is between "sono" and "prottete". Both, located in the white area of the obverse, essentially translate to English as "Banknotes are protected by criminal law". Included in red at the upper right corner of the obverse, by the Italian counterfeiting notice, is the numeral "10". Directly above the large image of Le Corbusier is a triangle with its point facing downward; the left half is mainly blue while the right is a dark yellow. A Kinegram element is shown to the right of the triangle, while two more Kinegrams are included near the base of the triangle, and another is found to the left of the French counterfeiting notice. The caption "Le Corbusier 1887–1955" is printed vertically in brown ink above the centermost Kinegrams, in the white area, and above that, at the top of the note, is a Swiss cross with a brown outline. Several entwined lines are also present at the upper right of the obverse, in the white area.
Featured at the upper right corner of the reverse, mostly in a dark blue ink, is the lobby of the Palace of Justice in Chandigarh, India, which was designed by Le Corbusier. Superimposing the upper left of the illustration is the signature of the President of the Bank Council, and the signature of a member of the Board of Directors is included below it. Printed in dark blue on two lines above the first signature is the German title "Der Präsident des Bankrates", and captioning the second signature is "Ein Mitglied des Direktoriums", also on two lines. The lines of the former are separated between "Präsident" and "des", whereas those of the latter are separated between "Mitglied" and "des". On notes printed from 1995 to 1996 the signature of Jakob Schönenberger (1931–) is included under the "President" field; Eduard Belser's (1943–) signature is present under this caption on the 2000 notes, while the signature of Hansueli Raggenbass (1948–) is shown on pieces produced from 2006 to 2012. So far, the signatures of nine individuals have appeared under the "Ein Mitglied des Direktoriums" caption. A white area is shown to the left of the depiction of the lobby of the Palace of Justice. At the upper right corner of it is a Swiss cross, which is in the same location as the cross on the obverse. Printed vertically in an upward direction, in blue, at the left of this area is the serial number, preceded by the final two digits of the date and a letter. A large, red number "10" featured below the serial number. The facade of the Secretariat Building in Chandigarh, also designed by Le Corbusier, is illustrated below the "10" and the depiction of the Palace of Justice, along with what some sources describe as a ground plan for the Chandigarh government district. The numbers "296", "226", "183", "140", "113", "86", "70", "68", and "43" are also featured. Printed over portions of the image of the Secretariat is a representation of the Modulor, an anthropometric scale of proportions developed by Le Corbusier, which shows a dark human figure standing in front of a red and blue spiral. The Secretariat Building is again shown at the bottom of the reverse. Printed in red at the very bottom of the note, in a small white area, is the text "Jörg Zintzmeyer Z&L" followed by "Orell Füssli Arts Graphiques SA Zurich". The first text signifies the note was designed by Jörg Zintzmeyer while the latter represents the printing at Orell Füssli. Adjacent to this area is a small yellow area in which the French "Banque nationale suisse" is written in green. At the bottom center of the note, inside of a rectangular boundary, the serial number is printed in black in an upward direction, the last two digits of the date and a letter before it. A small dark yellow box is included to the left of the serial number. The German "SCHWEIZERISCHE NATIONALBANK" is featured in blue at the right side of the reverse, running in an upward direction. It is followed above by the value "Zehn Franken" and the two-line counterfeiting notice "Banknoten sind strafrechtlich geschützt." separated between "sind" and "strafrechtlich". To the right of the German in red is the Romansh "BANCA NAZIUNALA SVIZRA"; "Diesch Francs"; and "Las bancnotas èn protegidas dal dretg penal.", which is separated on two lines between "èn" and "protegidas". The value "10" is written in red above the Romansh counterfeiting notice.
The microprinting on the reverse
In order to prevent counterfeiting, a number of security features were added to the eighth series 10 franc banknote. There is microprinting describing Le Corbusier and his accomplishments in the yellow portion of the triangle on the obverse and in the yellow square at the bottom of the reverse. On the obverse it is written in French[1] and Italian[2] on the obverse while on the reverse it is in German[3] and Romansh[4]. The value written along the obverse eight times is printed each time in a different type of security ink. The first writing of the value is transparent and becomes visible when viewed at the proper angle with the light, the second is a watermark that can only be viewed when the note is held under light, the third is printed in intaglio ink that leaves traces of ink when rubbed, the fourth uses perforated lettering that can be seen clearly when held up to the light, the fifth changes colors depending on the angle it is viewed from, the sixth becomes visible under ultraviolet light, the seventh is metal-coated and under a microscope "BNS" or "SNB" can be seen, and the eighth can only be viewed from an unusual angle. The crosses on the obverse and reverse are in exactly the same spot, so when the note is held up to the light one cross can be seen with the other. Also becoming visible when lifted to the light is a watermark of Le Corbusier in the white areas of the obverse and reverse. The Kinegram and touch-perceptible features are also included on the obverse and may be difficult for counterfeiters to replicate. On the reverse, the serial number is printed twice in different colors, and a metallic security thread that shines in the light extends across the middle.
| Signatures by date | ||
|---|---|---|
| Date | Signature 1 | Signature 2 |
| 1995 | Jakob Schönenberger | Markus Lusser Hans Meyer Jean Zwahlen |
| 1996 | ||
| 2000 | Eduard Belser | Bruno Gehrig Hans Meyer Jean-Pierre Roth |
| 2006 | Hansueli Raggenbass | Niklaus Blattner Bruno Gehrig Jean-Pierre Roth |
| 2008 | Philipp Hildebrand Thomas Jordan Jean-Pierre Roth | |
| 2010 | Jean-Pierre Danthine Philipp Hildebrand Thomas Jordan | |
| 2012 | ||
Ninth series note[]
|
This article or section contains information on an expected future introduction.
When the subject has been officially introduced, remove this message. |
- See also: 2005 Swiss National Bank design competition.
In 2005, the Swiss National Bank held a competition to determine the designs of the next series of Swiss franc banknotes. This competition was won by Manuel Krebs, but his designs, showing depictions of cells and embryos, were met with large opposition from the public. As a result, Krebs' drawings were rejected and those of the second place winner, Manuela Pfrunder (1979–), were selected instead. The theme of Pfrunder's 10 franc banknote is skiing, and the note will likely be yellow in color. The Swiss National Bank revealed that the ninth series notes will be made of Durasafe material – consisting of a blend of paper and polymer – which would make the ninth series 10 franc note the first of its denomination to be composed of a material other than paper. Initially, plans were made to issued the notes in 2012, but the date of issuance was delayed until 2015 due to problems with production.
Notes[]
| Text of microprinting | ||
|---|---|---|
|
References[]
- Swiss National Bank website (English) (French) (German) (Italian)
- Paper Money Guaranty website
Banknotes of the Swiss franc on the English Wikipedia- Monnaie suisse – Billets de banque: Caisse Fédérale / de prêts, 10 francs, Caisse fédérale
- Money Museum – The Swiss Reserve Banknotes
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
| Swiss franc | |
|---|---|
| Banknotes | 5 CHF • 10 CHF • 20 CHF • 40 CHF • 50 CHF • 100 CHF • 200 CHF • 500 CHF • 1000 CHF |
| Coins | 1 rappen (HR) • 2 rappen • 5 rappen • 10 rappen • 20 rappen • ½ batzen • 1 batzen • 5 batzen • 10 batzen • 20 batzen • ½ CHF • 1 CHF • 2 CHF • 40 batzen • 4 CHF • 5 CHF • 10 CHF • 16 CHF • 20 CHF • 25 CHF • 32 CHF • 50 CHF • 100 CHF • 200 CHF • 250 CHF • 500 CHF • 1000 CHF
1⁄10 unze • ¼ unze • ½ unze • 1 unze • 5 unze • 12 unze • ₠1 • ₠5 • 1 ceros • 2 ceros • 5 ceros • 10 ceros • 20 ceros • 50 ceros • 1 europ • 2 europ • 5 europ • 1 silbertaler • 20 rond |
| Miscellaneous | Bern Mint • Basel Mint • Liechtenstein frank • Orell Füssli Arts Graphiques SA • Solothurn Mint • Swiss National Bank • Swissmint |