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1 Franc - Chambre de Commerce de Chalon-sur-Saône, Autun et Louhans 71
| Issuer | Chambre de Commerce de Chalon-sur-Saône, Autun et Louhans |
|---|---|
| Year | 1917 |
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| Printer | B. Arnaud, Villeurbanne, France (1898-1990) |
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| Obverse description | Blue and red letterpress bon de nécessité on salmon-toned paper with a repetitive text underprint reading 'CHAMBRE DE COMMERCE DE CHALON SUR SAONE' throughout. The upper centre bears the heraldic arms of Chalon-sur-Saône flanked by laurel branches, with the authorising date 'DÉLIBÉRATION DU 25 JUILLET 1917' across the top margin; decorative guilloche rosettes occupy each corner. The denomination 'UN FRANC' is printed in large bold type at centre, flanked by the municipal arms of Autun and Louhans, each within a wreath; below them appear the manuscript signatures of the Trésorier and the Président over their respective titles, with a small vignette of a building at lower centre, the series and number at bottom left and right, and the printer's imprint 'IMP B. ARNAUD LYON PARIS' along the lower margin. |
|---|---|
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| Protection type | Watermark |
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| Comments |
The Chamber of Commerce emergency notes issued across provincial France during the First World War filled a genuine void — the hoarding of metal coinage left everyday commerce paralyzed, and regional chambers stepped in with their own fractional paper. This 1 Franc was produced by B. Arnaud in Villeurbanne, a suburb of Lyon, who handled a significant share of this type of municipal emergency printing during the war years.
The joint issuing authority — combining Chalon-sur-Saône, Autun, and Louhans under a single Saône-et-Loire chamber — meant these notes circulated across a relatively wide rural and market-town network, which accelerated wear. Crisp survivors are genuinely uncommon for that reason.