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1 Franc - Société Générale
| Issuer | Société Générale |
|---|---|
| Year | 1871 |
| Type | Emergency banknote |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | BON DE MONNAIE / SOCIÉTÉ GÉNÉRALE / 56 RUE DE PROVENCE / PARIS / UN FRANC / 18 Novembre 1871 / Le Caissier, Le Contrôleur, Le Directeur / Remboursable en Billets de la Banque de France aux Caisses de la Société |
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| Reverse lettering | CAISSES DE LA SOCIÉTÉ / PARIS / DEPARTEMENTS |
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| Comments |
Société Générale issued emergency small-denomination notes during the Franco-Prussian War and its immediate aftermath, when the Siege of Paris had so thoroughly disrupted normal coin circulation that private banks stepped in to fill the gap. The Banque de France had suspended specie payments in August 1870, and small change essentially vanished from everyday commerce — hoarded, melted, or simply unavailable.
A. Chaix et Cie was primarily a commercial and periodical printer, not a specialist security house. That choice tells you something about wartime Paris: the usual channels were not available.