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1 Franc - Chambres de Commerce de Chateauroux [36]
| Issuer | Chambre de Commerce de Chateauroux |
|---|---|
| Year | 1919-1920 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | 91 × 60 mm |
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| Printer | Log in to see details |
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| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Watermark |
| Protection description | Bee motif watermark |
| Variants | Log in to see details |
| Comments |
The Chambres de Commerce emergency notes issued across provincial France during and after World War One represent one of the largest decentralized currency experiments in modern French history — by 1920, over 500 local chambers had issued their own paper in denominations ranging from 5 centimes to 2 francs. Châteauroux, the prefecture of Indre, was among the earlier provincial issuers, stepping in to address the acute coin shortage that the wartime metal demands had created.
Badel was a local press, not a specialist security printer. The watermark is the primary anti-counterfeiting measure, which set a low bar even by the standards of the series.