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1 Franc
| Issuer | Stad Brugge (City of Bruges) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1914 |
| Type | Local banknote |
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| Obverse description | Olive-green and ochre letterpress emergency issue with an elaborate typographic border enclosing a central yellow-ochre underprint vignette of a Bruges canal townscape. To the left, a heraldic vignette presents the Bruges bear atop a pedestal flanked by the city's lion supporters, while a circular medallion inscribed 'RVM : BRVGENSIVM' occupies the right margin. The bold central legend reads '1 GOED VOOR EEN FRANK 1', with the redemption clause 'BETAALBAAR TER STADSKAS DEN 15 JANUARI 1915' set below, above two manuscript signatures and an alphanumeric serial number at foot. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse lettering | STAD BRUGGE + 1914 + SB SB SB SB SB SB SB SB |
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| Comments |
Stad Brugge entered the emergency currency business in August 1914 when the German advance into Belgium collapsed the normal banking infrastructure almost overnight. Dozens of Belgian municipalities issued their own fractional notes that autumn, and Bruges was among the earliest. These local issues were technically unauthorized under Belgian law but tolerated — and later retroactively regularized — because the alternative was no small-denomination money at all.
Printed locally under occupation conditions, the paper quality and registration on these Bruges notes is notoriously inconsistent across the run. The city redeemed them after the war, so survivors in any honest condition are genuinely uncommon.