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1 Franc - Chambre de Commerce de Béziers 34
| Issuer | Chambre de Commerce de Béziers |
|---|---|
| Year | 1915 |
| Type | Local banknote |
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| Obverse description | The upper portion of the note carries a teal silhouette vignette of the Béziers skyline, with the cathedral and medieval towers rendered against a plain ground, framed by intricate guilloche borders on all four sides. A repeated microtext underprint reading 'CHAMBRE DE COMMERCE DE BEZIERS' fills the central field, over which the denomination 'UN FRANC' is printed in large bold letterpress. The issuer's name, deliberation date, serial number, and series letter appear in the lower register, with two manuscript facsimile signatures flanking the denomination under the titles 'Le Trésorier' and 'Le Président'. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse is printed in teal with a bold rectangular frame enclosing a central vignette of four clusters of red grapes on the vine with large leaves, referencing the Languedoc wine-growing region. To the upper right of the vignette appears the heraldic shield of Béziers. The denomination 'UN FRANC' is set in large teal letters across the upper portion of the vignette, with the redemption notice in smaller text below, and the designer's and printer's credits in the lower corners. |
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| Comments |
The Chambre de Commerce de Béziers began issuing these small-denomination emergency notes in 1915 as wartime metal shortages stripped ordinary commerce of its small change — a problem that hit market towns in the Hérault particularly hard. Hundreds of French chambres de commerce resorted to the same solution simultaneously, but the Béziers issues are notable for retaining a local designer: Magrou was a sculptor and medallist based in the region, an unusual choice when most equivalent bodies simply ordered stock designs from their printers.
The JP#27 reference covers four distinct varieties across this denomination, differentiated by serial ranges and minor typographic adjustments rather than any redesign.