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 face
DIS-01-B-02 face
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

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 face
DIS-02-A-01 face
DIS-02-A-01 Hector Berlioz
  • Printer: BdF
  • 1972-1985
  • 172 x 92mm

  • Roty, L-O INV
    • (B)

Athena at Left

Series A: Black "ÉCHANTILLON" overprint in watermark area

DIS-03-A-01 face
DIS-03-A-01 face
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
DIS-03-A-02 face
DIS-03-A-02 face
DIS-03-A-02 100 Francs Athena at left
  • Printer: BdF
  • 1985-1990
  • 160 x 85mm
  • Size of 100f Delacroix

  • Watermark: Bust of Zeus
DIS-03-A-03 face
DIS-03-A-03 face
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

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

DIS-03-D-03 face
DIS-03-D-03 face
DIS-03-D-03 200 Francs Athena at left
  • Printer: BdF
  • 1985-1990
  • 172 x 90mm
  • Size of 200f Montesquieu

  • Watermark: Bust of Zeus

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

DIS-03-F-01 face
DIS-03-F-01 face
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
DIS-03-F-02 face
DIS-03-F-02 face
DIS-03-F-02 100 Francs Athena at left
  • Printer: BdF
  • 1985-1990
  • 160 x 85mm
  • Size of 100f Delacroix

  • Watermark: Bust of Zeus
DIS-03-F-03 face
DIS-03-F-03 face
DIS-03-F-03 200 Francs Athena at left
  • Printer: BdF
  • 1985-1990
  • 172 x 90mm
  • Size of 200f Montesquieu

  • Watermark: Bust of Zeus

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

DIS-03-H-02 face
DIS-03-H-02 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

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

DIS-03-I-01 face
DIS-03-I-01 face
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

Athena at Right

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

DIS-04-A-01 face
DIS-04-A-01 face
DIS-04-A-01 20 Francs Athena at Right
  • Printer: BdF
  • 1990-1995
  • 140 x 75mm
  • #10025, Size of 20f Debussy

  • Watermark: Antelope and ??
DIS-04-A-02 face
DIS-04-A-02 face
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
DIS-04-A-03 face
DIS-04-A-03 face
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
DIS-04-A-04 face
DIS-04-A-04 face
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
DIS-04-A-05 face
DIS-04-A-05 face
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

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

DIS-04-B-01 face
DIS-04-B-01 face
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
DIS-04-B-04 face
DIS-04-B-04 face
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

Maurice Ravel - Franc size

Series A

DIS-05-A-01 face
DIS-05-A-01 face
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 face
DIS-05-A-02 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 face
DIS-05-A-03 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 face
DIS-05-A-04 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.

DIS-06-A-02 face
DIS-06-A-02 face
DIS-06-A-02 5 Euro Maurice Ravel
  • Printer: BdF
  • 2001-
  • 120 x 62mm
  • Size of 5€
  • Small black rectangles right/left on face

  • Strap: Gold foil
  • Watermark: Clock Face
DIS-06-A-03 face
DIS-06-A-03 face
DIS-06-A-03 5 Euro Maurice Ravel
  • Printer: BdF
  • 2001-
  • 120 x 62mm
  • Size of 5€, large roman numeral "V"

  • Strap: Gold foil
  • Watermark: None
DIS-06-A-05 face
DIS-06-A-05 face
DIS-06-A-05 10 Euro Maurice Ravel
  • Printer: BdF
  • 2001-
  • 127 x 67mm
  • Gold foil strip. Size of 10 Euro€

  • Strap: Gold foil
  • Watermark: Clock Face
DIS-06-A-06 face
DIS-06-A-06 face
DIS-06-A-06 20 Euro Maurice Ravel
  • Printer: BdF
  • 2001-
  • 133 x 72mm
  • Gold foil strip. Size of 20€

  • Strap: Gold foil
  • Watermark: Clock Face
DIS-06-A-07 face
DIS-06-A-07 face
DIS-06-A-07 20 Euro Maurice Ravel
  • Printer: BdF
  • 2001-
  • 133 x 72mm
  • Gold foil strip. Size of 20€

  • Strap: Gold foil
  • Watermark: Clock Face
DIS-06-A-08 face
DIS-06-A-08 face
DIS-06-A-08 20 Euro Maurice Ravel
  • Printer: BdF
  • 2001-
  • 133 x 72mm
  • Gold foil strip. Size of 20€

  • Strap: Gold foil
  • Watermark: Clock Face

Series B: 50-500€. The printed image is the same for all notes, but cutting marks delimit the area for the 50, 100 and 200€ sizes.

DIS-06-B-01 face
DIS-06-B-01 face
DIS-06-B-01 50 Euro Maurice Ravel
  • Printer: BdF
  • 2001-
  • 140 x 77mm
  • Size of 50€

  • Strap: Gold foil block
  • Watermark: Clock Face
DIS-06-B-02 face
DIS-06-B-02 face
DIS-06-B-02 100 Euro Maurice Ravel
  • Printer: BdF
  • 2001-
  • 147 x 82mm
  • Size of 100€

  • Strap: Gold foil block
  • Watermark: Clock Face
DIS-06-B-04 face
DIS-06-B-04 face
DIS-06-B-04 200 Euro Maurice Ravel
  • Printer: BdF
  • 2001-
  • 153 x 82mm
  • Size of 200€
  • Foil block with rounded corners

  • Strap: Gold foil block
  • Watermark: Clock Face
DIS-06-B-06 face
DIS-06-B-06 face
DIS-06-B-06 500 Euro Maurice Ravel
  • Printer: BdF
  • 2001-
  • 160 x 82mm
  • Size of 500€

  • Strap: Gold foil block
  • Watermark: Clock Face

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