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1 Franc - Compagnie des Mines de Courrières
| Issuer | Compagnie des Mines de Courrières |
|---|---|
| Year | 1914 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Franc (1795-1959) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Designer(s) | 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 | White ground with red letterpress text and a dotted border frame, the value '1 F.' repeated in each corner. The central text block states the conditions of redemption at the company's cashier's office in Billy-Montigny after the war, against Banque de France notes, followed by the title 'Le Directeur' with a manuscript signature; a large circular black ink cachет of the Compagnie des Mines de Courrières, Caisse, Billy-Montigny is applied over the signature area. |
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| Protection type | Cachet |
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| Comments |
The Compagnie des Mines de Courrières is best known to history for the catastrophic explosion of March 1906 — the deadliest mining disaster in European history, killing over 1,000 workers. By 1914, the company had rebuilt its operations and workforce, and with the August mobilization draining metal coinage from circulation almost overnight, colliery scrip became a practical necessity across the northern coalfields. Notes like this one, printed locally by Lemetter-Legonq in nearby Liévin, were issued to keep wages and company-store transactions functioning when the Banque de France could not supply enough small denomination coin.