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.
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.