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1 Franc - Chambre de Commerce d'Evreux 27
| Issuer | Chambre de Commerce d'Evreux |
|---|---|
| Year | 1916 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Franc |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
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| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Letterpress-printed bon de caisse on cream paper with a dense foliate and fruit border enclosing four municipal coats of arms — Andelys and Bernay in cartouches at left and right, and the Louviers arms on a ribbon scroll at the base — alongside a large crowned escutcheon at the top centre. A repeating watermark-style underprint of the issuer's name fills the central field, over which the denomination UN FRANC is set in bold letterpress type. The deliberation dates and signatory lines for the President and Trésorier appear below the principal inscription, with the printer's imprint at lower right. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Printed in dark green on cream paper, the reverse carries an elaborate guilloche-rosette border punctuated at the corners by small vignettes of a seated figure. At the top centre, a circular medallion bears the caduceus emblem of the Chambre de Commerce d'Evreux with the initials A, E, B, and L. The central field contains a repeating text underprint of the issuer's name, over which three paragraphs of redemption text are printed in roman and italic letterpress type, including the guarantee of reimbursement at the Banque de France. |
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| Comments |
French chambres de commerce became emergency currency issuers during the First World War after the Banque de France suspended convertibility and small-denomination coins vanished from circulation almost overnight — hoarded by a public who trusted metal over paper. The Évreux chamber was among dozens that turned to Berger-Levrault in Nancy, a printing house better known for military cartography and official publications, which found itself producing emergency fractional notes for half of provincial France.
The watermark is the sole security measure, which tells you everything about the urgency and improvisation of the programme.