1 Franc - Chambre de Commerce du Havre 76

Le Havre's Chamber of Commerce began issuing emergency fractional notes during the First World War, when the hoarding of coins stripped small-denomination currency from everyday commerce across France. The 1920 date on this piece reflects how long that emergency infrastructure persisted — French chambres de commerce were still plugging the same gap years after the Armistice, with central authorities slow to restore adequate coin supply.

Berger-Levrault, the Nancy-based printer behind this note, had deep roots in official French government printing. Their involvement lent these local issues a degree of technical credibility that many wartime emergency notes lacked.