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1 Franc - Chambre de Commerce de Montluçon-Gannat 03
| Issuer | Chambre de Commerce de Montluçon-Gannat |
|---|---|
| Year | 1921 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | JP#84-58 |
| Obverse description | Printed in red-orange and black on cream paper, the obverse carries a dense floral guilloche underprint across the entire field, enclosed within a decorative black letterpress border. The issuer's title arches across the top, with the ministerial authorization date below it and the denomination 'UN FRANC' in large bold type at centre. Two circular black medallions bearing the value '1fr' flank a central intaglio-style official seal of the Chambre de Commerce de Montluçon-Gannat, with spaces for the Trésorier and Président manuscript signatures below, and the series letter and serial number at lower left and right respectively. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse is printed in dark green on cream paper and presents an unadorned typeset text block centred within a simple guilloche border with ornamental corner medallions. A violet circular ink stamp of the Chambre de Commerce de Montluçon-Gannat is applied at lower left, partially overlapping the text. The entire design is text-only, setting out the redemption conditions and expiry deadline in clear letterpress typography. |
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| Comments |
Emergency small-change notes — monnaies de nécessité — flooded provincial France after 1914 when metal coinage disappeared from circulation almost overnight, hoarded by the public and consumed by wartime industry. Chambers of Commerce across the country stepped in as de facto issuers, a role they were never designed to fill and gradually relinquished through the early 1920s. By 1921, most chambers were winding these series down rather than expanding them.
Herbin & Bouché were a local Montluçon firm, which makes this note unusual — the overwhelming majority of French chambre de commerce issues were printed by specialist houses elsewhere. Provincial printing often meant thinner security and simpler layout, though the watermarked paper here indicates at least some precaution against forgery.