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1 Franc - Chambre de Commerce de Foix 09
| Issuer | Chambre de Commerce de Foix |
|---|---|
| Year | 1915 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | 92 × 60 mm |
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| Obverse description | Blue letterpress bon de caisse entirely in blue on cream paper, with a dense guilloche underprint composed of repeated text reading CHAMBRE DE COMMERCE DE FOIX arranged in tight horizontal registers across the central field. The denomination UN FRANC is printed in large bold letters at centre, flanked by the printed titles Le Trésorier and Le Président above two manuscript signatures, with a circular official seal of the Chambre de Commerce de Foix applied at centre below. A decorative lace-pattern border with rosette cornerpieces frames the design, and the printer's imprint appears at the bottom margin. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Reverse printed in red on cream paper, with a repeating guilloche underprint of the text CHAMBRE DE COMMERCE DE FOIX filling the entire central panel. A large numeral 1 surmounts the bold inscription FRANC at centre, flanked symmetrically by decorative foliate sprays. A cartouche at lower centre contains the redemption notice in French, and the design is enclosed within a blue lace-pattern border with ornamental cornerpieces matching the obverse. |
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| Comments |
The Foix Chamber of Commerce began issuing small-denomination emergency notes in 1915 as the wartime drain on metal coinage — both for military production and civilian hoarding — left the Ariège department functionally starved of small change. Chambers of commerce across France were authorized by the state to fill the gap, and dozens did so with locally produced notes of wildly varying quality. The Foix issue, printed in town by Fra & Cie rather than sent to a major Parisian printer, reflects the genuine urgency: procurement was local, fast, and practical.
The JP#59 reference places this within the well-documented Jérôme Picard classification of French nécessité issues. Varieties 3 and 4 in this group differ in minor typographic details.