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1 Franc - Chambre de Commerce d'Avignon 84
| Issuer | Chambre de Commerce d'Avignon |
|---|---|
| Year | 1915 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Franc (1795-1959) |
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| Obverse description | Yellow-orange underprint bearing the repeated text 'CHAMBRE DE COMMERCE D'AVIGNON' covers the entire field, over which the green letterpress design is applied. At the top centre, the civic arms of Avignon with the motto 'A BEC ET GRIFFES' on a ribbon below, flanked by the inscription 'REPUBLIQUE FRANÇAISE' and the date range 'Guerre Européenne de 1914-1917'. The four municipal coats of arms of Avignon, Apt, Carpentras, and Orange are placed at the lateral borders within an ornate guilloche frame of laurel branches and foliate columns. The denomination 'UN FRANC' is printed in large bold type at the centre, with a red serial number below, and two manuscript signatures appear at the lower left and right, respectively attributed to the President and the Secrétaire Trésorier. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse lettering | CHAMBRE DE COMMERCE D'AVIGNON PREMIÈRE ÉMISSION DE REMPLACEMENT 1917 Les bons de 2 francs, 1 franc et 50 centimes de la Chambre de Commerce d'Avignon sont émis sous sa responsabilité et sa garantie. Ils sont toujours échangeables par sommes rondes de 50 francs au moins, contre des billets de la Banque de France. Leur émission étant faite, pour une durée de cinq ans, en vertu d'une délibération du 11 août 1915, ils devront être présentés, avant le 11 août 1920, au remboursement définitif. Ce remboursement est garanti par le dépôt à la Banque de France de leur contre-valeur en billets de banque. |
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| Comments |
French chambers of commerce were authorized to issue emergency small-denomination notes in August 1914 after the war's outbreak drained metallic coinage from circulation almost overnight. Avignon's chamber was among the earliest to act, and Berger-Levrault — a Nancy-based firm with deep roots in military and administrative printing — was a logical choice given its existing government contracts and its proximity to wartime supply chains despite the front pushing ever closer to the northeast.
The JP# reference spanning five numbers (17 through 21) reflects multiple date or series variants issued under the same basic authorization, a common complication when cataloging French nécessité notes of this period.