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1 Franc - Chambre de Commerce d'Aurillac [15]
| Issuer | Chambre de Commerce d'Aurillac et du Cantal |
|---|---|
| Year | 1917-1923 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Designer(s) | Félix Tourdes |
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| Obverse description | The obverse is printed in blue and green on white paper, with a central vignette of two putti flanking a crowned heraldic shield bearing the arms of Aurillac, set within a laurel wreath. The denomination UN FRANC appears in a scroll cartouche at the top centre, flanked by the dates 1917 and 1923, while the issuer's name CHAMBRE DE COMMERCE D'AURILLAC ET DU CANTAL is divided left and right of the central vignette. The border is composed of guilloche work and acanthus scrolls incorporating three heraldic shields at the top, with circular numeral medallions at each corner; the serial number is printed in red at the foot. |
|---|---|
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| Protection type | Watermark |
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| Comments |
The Chambres de Commerce emergency issues of World War One filled a genuine gap — coin hoarding after 1914 stripped small denominations from everyday commerce, and the French government was too absorbed with wartime finance to address it. Local chambers stepped in under a 1916 authorization, and Aurillac was among the more self-sufficient, using the regional printer Delostal & Germa rather than the Paris firms that supplied most provincial issuers.
Tourdes designed the series with a watermarked paper stock, unusual attentiveness for a local emergency issue. The authorization ran through 1923, well past the Armistice, reflecting how slowly fractional coinage returned to normal circulation after the war.