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1 Franc - Chambre de Commerce de Béziers 34
| Issuer | Chambre de Commerce de Béziers |
|---|---|
| Year | 1922 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Franc |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Printer | Log in to see details |
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| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Blue-green tinted note with a central guilloche medallion flanked by two vignettes of grapevine branches laden with clusters, evoking the Languedoc wine-growing region. The issuer's name is printed in a ribbon cartouche across the top, with the denomination UN FRANC in large bold letters at centre; below, two facsimile signatures appear under the titles LE TRÉSORIER and LE PRÉSIDENT, with the Chamber of Commerce shield device at lower left. The serial number and series date appear along the lower margin, with the printer's imprint at the bottom right. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | CHAMBRE DE COMMERCE DE BEZIERS UN FRANC Echangeable à vue contre des billets de la Banque de France 20 26.24 N° 13,612 CADENAT FR BEZIERS |
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| Comments |
French chambers of commerce were authorized to issue emergency small-denomination notes during and after the First World War to address a chronic shortage of coin — silver and nickel had been hoarded or melted, and the state couldn't keep up with demand for fractional currency. Béziers, a commercial hub of the Languedoc wine trade, issued its own series through the local press of Cadenat Frères rather than contracting a specialist security printer.
That choice is worth noting. Provincial printing meant variable quality control across the series, and the watermark on these notes is the primary security feature — modest by any measure for circulating currency.