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1 Franc - Chambre de Commerce d'Amiens [80]
| Issuer | Chambre de Commerce d'Amiens |
|---|---|
| Year | 1914 |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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| Obverse description | Blue letterpress note on buff paper, with a left-side vignette of a standing allegorical female figure in classical drapery set within an arched frame, flanked by fine guilloche border work. The upper field carries the inscriptions VILLE D'AMIENS and BANQUE DUVETTE above the large central denomination UN FRANC and date 15 Septembre 1914, with the city arms in the upper right corner. The lower portion bears two manuscript signatures above the line Les Délégués de la Chambre de Commerce, followed by three further manuscript signatures, with the serial number in a framed cartouche at foot centre and the printer's imprint IMP. DU PROGRÈS at lower left. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | VILLE D'AMIENS | BANQUE DUVETTE | UN FRANC | 15 Septembre 1914 | Le Maire | L'Emetteur | Les Délégués de la Chambre de Commerce | IMP. DU PROGRÈS |
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| Comments |
When the war began in August 1914, the sudden hoarding of coins across France created an acute shortage of small change almost overnight. Chambers of commerce were among the first institutions to fill the gap, issuing paper in denominations that the Banque de France had no mandate to cover. Amiens, deep in the Picardy region that would soon become one of the war's most devastated zones, was early to act.
The Imprimerie du Progrès de la Somme was a regional press — not a specialist security printer — which makes the inclusion of a watermark notable. It suggests the chamber was at least attempting to discourage local forgery, even with limited technical resources.