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1 Franc - Chambre de Commerce de Laval and de la Mayenne 53
| Issuer | Chambre de Commerce de Laval et de la Mayenne |
|---|---|
| Year | 1920 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Franc |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| 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 |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | CHAMBRE DE COMMERCE DE LAVAL & DE LA MAYENNE UN FRANC Le Président Le Trésorier S.A. 1755 1920 H. DALIBARD LAVAL |
| Reverse description | Blue letterpress reverse with a detailed scenic vignette at right showing the riverside quays, stone bridge, and historic buildings of Laval reflected in the Mayenne river. At left, a large circular medallion with a dark guilloche ground carries the bold denomination '1 fr.' in white numerals. A redemption notice in italic script occupies the upper left, and the date range '1920-1923' is set in large figures along the lower margin, with the printer's imprint at lower right. |
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| Comments |
French Chambers of Commerce were authorized to issue small-denomination emergency notes — billets de nécessité — following the acute coin shortage that began with the First World War and dragged well into the early 1920s. The Laval chamber's issues were purely a local stopgap, circulating within the Mayenne department while metal coinage remained scarce or was hoarded. Henri Dalibard was a Laval-based printer, not a specialist security printer, which is worth noting: the watermark represents the most substantive anti-counterfeiting measure on a note produced by a regional commercial press with no particular background in fiduciary work.