I picked this up at a local sale and am wondering what people can tell me about it. Is it rare at all? Story behind it etc. Thanks!
I'd say about $10 with those folds. The French have a tradition of designing some of the worlds prettiest banknotes, both for France and some countries strongly influenced by France, Like Romania, and of course for the French overseas countries. American Bank Note Company produced serious looking notes, T.De L Rue and Bradbury Wilkinson produced valuable looking notes, but the French always, up until the end of the Franc, held the medal for the most beautiful notes. Because the French economy has been repeatedly devaluing the Franc, French notes are more available for collectors than those of other reasonably stable countries.
Jacques Coeur is the man on that note, and "coeur" is french for "heart". Coeur was a French merchant in the 15th century, and other than his last name, I don't know of another reason the watermark area would be heart-shaped. I have not heard this note called a "sweetheart bill" before, but I guess the story can be made.
