1 Franc - Compagnie des Mines de Courrières

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.