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1 Franc - Chambres de commerce d'Alençon et de Flers [61]
| Issuer | Chambres de Commerce d'Alençon et de Flers |
|---|---|
| Year | 1915 |
| Type | Local banknote |
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| Obverse description | Salmon-pink underprint with a dense blue letterpress guilloche border in a lace-like pattern frames the central field. The denomination UN FRANC is printed in large bold type at centre, flanked on each side by a municipal coat of arms; the deliberation date 10 Août 1915 appears above the denomination. Two signature panels are present at lower left and lower right, identified respectively as Le Président de la Chambre de Commerce d'Alençon and Le Président de la Chambre de Commerce de Flers. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | CHAMBRES DE COMMERCE D'ALENÇON ET DE FLERS, ORNE, Délibération du 10 Août 1915, UN FRANC, ÉCHANGEABLE contre des billets de la BANQUE de FRANCE, Le Président de la Chambre de Commerce d'Alençon, Le Président de la Chambre de Commerce de Flers, VICE-PRÉSIDENT |
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| Comments |
The joint chamber of commerce notes issued by Alençon and Flers were a direct product of the acute small-change shortage that gripped France in the opening months of the First World War, when the public hoarded coins and the banking system struggled to keep petty transactions functioning. Chambers of commerce across France were authorized by the government in 1914–15 to issue emergency fractional notes, and this 1 Franc piece is among the more obscure of that proliferation — the pairing of Alençon with Flers, two Norman commercial centers in the Orne department, was administratively logical but produced a relatively low-circulation instrument.
The JP reference spans multiple catalog numbers, reflecting the several date and typographic variants documented within the series.