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½ Cent - B. Houde Company Quebec
| Issuer | B. Houde Company, Limited |
|---|---|
| Year | |
| Type | Vouchers |
| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Bilingual premium coupon on pink paper, French-language side. Text is set in letterpress within a decorative border of repeating dot-and-scroll guilloche ornament. The issuer name "LA COMPAGNIE B. HOUDE, Limitée" appears in bold at the foot, with the stated merchantable value of one half cent (demi-centin) in the body text. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | English-language side of the coupon on pink paper, set in letterpress within the same repeating dot-and-scroll guilloche border as the obverse. The body text instructs redemption through the Premium Department, P.O. Box 280, Quebec, with the issuer name "B. HOUDE COMPANY, Limited" in bold at the foot. |
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| Comments |
B. Houde was one of the dominant tobacco manufacturers in Quebec, and like several Canadian merchants and manufacturers of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, issued small-denomination scrip to address the chronic shortage of low-value coinage in everyday retail transactions. These fractional notes circulated as change within the local commercial network — accepted by participating merchants and redeemable against purchases rather than through any banking mechanism.
No government authorization was required for such issues, which is precisely why they proliferated. Provincial merchants effectively monetized customer loyalty through necessity.