France - Treasury

Issued by a variety of sources during WWI and WWII, these banknotes were printed to support French nationals and Allied forces who, for various reasons, needed the availability of Francs while they were in war zones, occupied territories, etc.

Trésorerie aux Armées

In 1917, the french Army Treasury issued these "vouchers" to be used in France's militarized areas, in order to remove all use of silver coinage so that it didn't get into enemy hands. They were also exchanged for locally-issued emergency money in liberated towns. The vouchers had a limited value that expired after the war.

1917-1919

VF.2.10 face
VF.2.10 face
VF.2.10 (
  • P-M4
) 50 Centimes Blue. Soldier Being Welcomed Home
"...de la 4e annee qui suivra..." on back
  • ND (1919)
  • 100 x 65mm
  • Sig 1

  • Watermark: Bee pattern
  • Vallée, L. DEL
    • (F)
VF.4.09 face
VF.4.09 face
VF.4.09 (
  • P-M5
) 1 Franc Lt. Brown. Soldier Being Welcomed Home
"...de la 4e annee qui suivra..." on back
  • ND (1919)
  • 105 x 65mm
  • Sig 1

  • Watermark: Bee pattern
  • Vallée, L. DEL
    • (F)
VF.5.1 face
VF.5.1 face
VF.5.1 (
  • P-M3
) 2 Francs Lilac. Soldier Being Welcomed Home
"...de la 2e annee qui suivra..." on back
  • ND (1917)
  • 110 x 70mm
  • Sig 1

  • Watermark: Bee pattern
  • Vallée, L. DEL
    • (F)

Trésor Central du Comité Français de Libération Nationale

The French Committee of National Liberation (Fr. Comité Français de Libération Nationale) was a provisional government of Free France formed by the French generals Henri Giraud and Charles de Gaulle to coordinate the campaign to liberate France from Nazi Germany during World War II. The committee directly challenged the legitimacy of the Vichy regime and unified all the French forces that fought against the Nazis and collaborators. It functioned as a provisional government for Algeria (then a part of metropolitan France) and the liberated parts of the colonial empire. Later it evolved into the Provisional Government of the French Republic, under the premiership of Charles de Gaulle.

After liberating Corsica On October 4, 1943, the French Treasury had 500F, 1000F and 5000F notes created specifically for use in the region, and recalled all French notes of those denominations.

1943-1945

VF.6.1 face
VF.6.1 face
VF.6.1 (
  • P-105a
) 100 Francs Marianne
  • Printer: BWC
  • 1943
  • 155 x 100mm
  • Sig 2

Trésor Français

The three denominations below were printed in England on order of the French Treasury for the compulsory exchange of banknotes. They were put into circulation starting June 4, 1945.

1945

VF.11.1 face
VF.11.1 face
VF.11.1 (
  • P-106
) 500 Francs Marianne
  • Printer: TDLR
  • 1943
  • 138 x 78mm
VF.13.1 face
VF.13.1 face
VF.13.1 (
  • P-107
) 1000 Francs Marianne
  • Printer: TDLR
  • 1945
  • 152 x 85mm
  • Sig 2
  • Thin numerals
VF.13x face
VF.13x face
VF.13x 1000 Francs Marianne
  • Counterfeit

Gouvernement Provisoire de la Republique Française

This series of banknotes was put into circulation in 1944 by the treasury services of the allied armies in the regions liberated by the Normandy landings (June 6) and of Provence (August 15). These denominations became legal tender by an order of the Provisional Government of the Republique Française dated August 28, 1944.

All the values in​ this first series were printed in the United States.

First Issue, 1944

VF.16.1 face
VF.16.1 face
VF.16.1 (
  • P-114a
) 2 Francs Flag
  • Printer: Forbes
  • 1944
  • 78 x 67mm
VF.16.2 face
VF.16.2 face
VF.16.2 (
  • P-114b
) 2 Francs Flag
  • 1944
  • Block 2
VF.17.1 face
VF.17.1 face
VF.17.1 (
  • P-115a
) 5 Francs Flag
  • Printer: Forbes
  • 1944
  • 78 x 67mm
VF.18.1 face
VF.18.1 face
VF.18.1 (
  • P-116a
) 10 Francs Flag
  • Printer: Forbes
  • 1944
  • 78 x 67mm
VF.19.1 face
VF.19.1 face
VF.19.1 (
  • P-117a
) 50 Francs Flag
  • Printer: Forbes
  • 1944
  • 156 x 66mm
VF.20.1 face
VF.20.1 face
VF.20.1 (
  • P-118a
) 100 Francs Flag
  • Printer: Forbes
  • 1944
  • 156 x 66mm
VF.21.1 (
  • P-119a
) 500 Francs Flag
  • Printer: Forbes
  • 1944
  • 156 x 66mm

Second Issue, 1945

Provisional French Franc Currency

VF.24.1 face
VF.24.1 face
VF.24.1 (
  • P-122a
) 50 Francs France
  • Printer: Forbes
  • 1945
  • 156 x 66mm
VF.25.6 face
VF.25.6 face
VF.25.6 (
  • P-123c
) 100 Francs France
  • Printer: Forbes
  • 1945
  • 156 x 66mm
  • Block 6

Trésor Français

By article 74 of the law of December 23, 1946 (general budget for 1947), the Minister of Finances was authorized to put into circulation in the French Zones in Germany and Austria, banknotes in the name of the Public Treasury, denominated in francs for the exclusive use of the personnel of the French occupation services and troops and allies.

Occupied Territories

VF.29.1 face
VF.29.1 face
VF.29.1 (
  • P-M6
) 5 Francs
  • Printer: BdF
  • 1947
  • 83 x 53mm

  • Clement SC
    • (B)
VF.30.1 face
VF.30.1 face
VF.30.1 (
  • P-M7
) 10 Francs
  • Printer: BdF
  • 1947
  • 83 x 53mm

  • Clement SC
    • (B)
VF.31.1 face
VF.31.1 face
VF.31.1 (
  • P-M8
) 50 Francs Mercury
  • Printer: BdF
  • 1947
  • 116 x 75mm

  • Watermark

  • Broutin SC
    • (B)
VF.33 face
VF.33 face
VF.33 (
  • P-M10
) 1000 Francs Mercury
  • Printer: BdF
  • 1947
  • 116 x 75mm
VF.33proof face
VF.33proof (
  • P-M10proof
) 1000 Francs Mercury
  • 1947
  • Face Proof

German Occupation - Trésor Public

VF.34.1 face
VF.34.1 face
VF.34.1 (
  • P-M11
) 100 Francs Mercury
  • Printer: BdF
  • 1947
  • 116 x 75mm
VF.34s face
VF.34s face
VF.34s (
  • P-M11s
) 100 Francs Mercury
  • 1955
  • Specimen

Franco-Belgian Railways Administration in Occupied German Territory

The Occupation of the Ruhr (German: Ruhrbesetzung) was a period of military occupation of the German Ruhr Valley by France and Belgium between 1923 and 1925 in response to the Weimar Republic's failure to continue its reparation payments in the aftermath of World War I. These notes were used in this region at that time.

VF.R1 face
VF.R1 face
VF.R1 (
  • P-R1
) 0.05 Franc
  • Printer: Paul DuPont, Paris
  • 1947
  • 116 x 75mm
  • De Ruaz, E. SC
  • Vergnot, R. DEL
    • (F)
VF.R2 face
VF.R2 face
VF.R2 (
  • P-R2
) 0.10 Franc
  • Printer: Paul DuPont, Paris
  • 1947
  • 116 x 75mm
  • De Ruaz, E. SC
  • Vergnot, R. DEL
    • (F)

Last update:

Web site, content and images © Dave Mills