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1 Franc - Chambre de Commerce D'Amiens [80]
| Issuer | Chambre de Commerce d'Amiens |
|---|---|
| Year | 1915-1920 |
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| Currency | Franc (1795-1959) |
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| Obverse description | Brown letterpress on cream paper within an ornate foliate border. The issuer's title CHAMBRE DE COMMERCE D'AMIENS is set across the top, with the large denomination UN FRANC printed centrally in bold capital letters; circular lozenges bearing the numeral 1 appear at left and right. A fine typographic underprint repeating the chamber's name fills the centre field, and a red rectangular control mark is overprinted over the denomination. Manuscript signatures of Le Trésorier and Le Président appear at lower left and right respectively, flanking the serial number, with the printer's imprint IMP. PROGRÈS DE LA SOMME at the foot. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | CHAMBRE DE COMMERCE D'AMIENS | UN | FRANC | 1 | 1 | Le Trésorier | Le Président | IMP. PROGRÈS DE LA SOMME |
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| Comments |
French chambers of commerce were authorized to issue emergency small-denomination notes from 1914 onward as metal coinage rapidly disappeared from circulation — hoarded by the public and consumed by wartime industry simultaneously. The Amiens chamber's franc notes were printed locally by the Imprimerie du Progrès de la Somme, a regional press that handled multiple issue dates across the series, which accounts for the sprawling JP reference range covering six distinct variants. The watermark security feature was modest but deliberate, reflecting national guidance issued to chambers about minimum anti-counterfeiting requirements.
Amiens itself was shelled and partially evacuated in 1918, which likely disrupted both issuance and redemption records.