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1 Franc - Chambre de Commerce de Cette 34
| Issuer | Chambre de Commerce de Cette |
|---|---|
| Year | 1915 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Franc (1795-1959) |
| Composition | 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 |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | UN FRANC CES BONS PEUVENT ÊTRE ÉCHANGÉS DANS TOUTES LES SUCCURSALES DE LA BANQUE DE FRANCE DU DÉPARTEMENT DE L'HÉRAULT, CONTRE DES BILLETS DE BANQUE CES BONS DEVRONT ÊTRE PRÉSENTÉS À L'ÉCHANGE AU PLUS TARD LE ONZE AOÛT MIL NEUF CENT VINGT, SAUF DÉCISION PROROGEANT CE DÉLAI. |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Watermark |
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| Variants | Log in to see details |
| Comments |
Cette — now Sète — was a major Mediterranean port, and its Chamber of Commerce was among dozens of French regional bodies that began issuing small-denomination emergency paper in 1914–15 when metal coinage effectively vanished from circulation, hoarded by the public and consumed by wartime industrial demand. The Banque de France had no mechanism to fill the gap quickly at the local level, so the chambers stepped in under a temporary legal authorization that few expected to last as long as it did.
B. Arnaud of Lyon was a prolific printer of this type of billet de nécessité, supplying numerous southern chambers during the war years. The watermarked paper was a modest deterrent to forgery given the low face value.