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MR. GOSSELIN’S INTRODUCTION
This collection began in 1957. The 10 year old boy that I was at the time was enthralled by a visit to
the Musée Grévin. As we were about to leave, I saw an assignat that my grandmother bought for me
for 50 centimes. For me this banknote represented everyday life in a way that wax figures couldn’t.
During that period, every child collected stamps a bit. I lived in Montmartre when it was the French
Mecca of pictorial arts and artistic influence. Moreover, while studying at Lycée Jacques Decour,
the banknotes were illustrated with people from my history classes, with France, its colonies and
symbolism of values such as peace, honesty, prosperity and work.
In 1985, my banker introduced a lady to me who had just asked to be reimbursed for around
twenty banknotes that had been found in a book. These banknotes were no longer accepted by the
Banque de France. I bought a book by Muszynski in which I could find and get an idea of how many
banknotes were issued by the Banque de France which hastily added up to about 200. I was bitten
by the collecting bug that day. It was during the 30 year post-war boom and even if money came
easily, a 50-franc banknote was 50 francs “lost” for the household! So it occurred to me that France
was surely going to do something big for the bicentennial of the French Revolution. By hanging out
at numismatist shops along rue Lafayette, I found several assignats sold for a French proverbial
“mouthful of bread” or next to nothing. It’s true that bread was the main source of food during the
French Revolution. One of the shop owners, thinking he was going to die soon and taking me for a
seasoned collector, sold me the assignats that he had kept for himself from his sales and purchases.
The beauty of French banknotes gave the Banque de France worldwide influence. Manufacturing
progress went with scientific progress at that time. France printed banknotes for its colonies and for
some foreign countries.
I worked three years in the neighboring town of Montgeron where Bojarski had lived, the famous
counterfeiter who had made banknotes that looked so authentic that General de Gaulle had said,
“they’re so well done that we’re willing to pay for them”. Then one day my dream came true when
I found some Bojarski banknotes. I became completely hooked on collecting paper money and Mr.
Muszynski’s categorization.
As I’ve never been a member of any numismatic club, I built this collection according to my own
personality. For me, a banknote must have a past, and been passed between several hands to buy
bread, a horse, medicine, land, a house, etc. It should carry the DNA of the people who used it
from that era. After 35 years of collecting, I don’t understand the reason for the very high value
of a “brand new, specimen” banknote because obviously only the privileged few who manufacture
banknotes may obtain them just like straight edge specimens in stamp collecting.
In my line of work, I handled my clients’ checks. The Crédit Agricole had fantastic checks in every
region of France. Because of counterfeiters, a watermark was added to some checks. The credit card,
electronic payment in a “nanosecond”, is putting an end to checks.
The collecting bug has mutated. Rummage through your grandparents’ archives. Now is the time to
look for our grandmothers’ old checks. They’re free and they’re part of our paper money heritage.
The first auction took place in 2015. There was a completely handwritten money order-check, in
Livres Tournois (Tours Livres) and Sol, dating from a French revolutionary month, which may soon
be worth as much as a Monoye banknote. Search your attics and you may find a treasure waiting
to be discovered in one of your ancestor’s old bookkeeping files.
In our day and age, enjoying a hobby is a pleasure that we sometimes miss out on.
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