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1 Franc - Chambre de Commerce de Perpignan 66
| Issuer | Chambre de Commerce de Perpignan |
|---|---|
| Year | 1915 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| 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 |
| In circulation to | 31 December 1916 |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Red lithographed reverse on plain paper stock, with a geometric dotted border and compass-star ornaments at each corner. Three heraldic vignettes are arranged across the upper portion: the municipal arms of Céret at left, the crowned coat of arms of Perpignan at centre surmounted by a royal crown and flanked by decorative foliage, and a third armorial device at right. The large numeral '1' and the word 'FRANC' dominate the centre field, with the redemption terms inscribed in a rounded rectangular panel at the foot and the printer's imprint below. |
| Reverse lettering | 1 FRANC LES ECHANGES SERONT FAITS, PAR DIX OU, MULTIPLES DE DIX, CONTRE DES BILLETS DE BANQUE, JUSQU'AU 31 DÉCEMBRE 1916, SAUF PROROGATION. LITHO. P. MORER - BENEZET, PERPIGNAN |
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| Comments |
Emergency local commerce notes issued by French Chambers of Commerce were a direct response to the acute coin shortage of 1914–15, when metal was diverted to the war effort and small change effectively vanished from circulation. Perpignan's chamber moved quickly, commissioning Morer-Benezet — a local lithographic firm — to produce these franc notes rather than waiting on a centralized solution from Paris.
Local production by a regional printer makes the lithographic quality variable across surviving examples. The watermark is the only security measure, modest for a circulating instrument but typical of what a provincial commercial printer could realistically supply under wartime conditions.