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100 Francs - Ville de Lille / Town of Lille 59
| Issuer | Ville de Lille (Municipality of Lille) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1917 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | 180 × 115 mm |
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| Obverse description | Printed in brown and olive-green on white paper, the obverse is framed by an ornate letterpress border with four corner cartouches each bearing the denomination numeral '100'. Allegorical vignettes representing Industry and Commerce occupy the left and right lateral panels respectively, while a central blue underprint vignette of a classical female head appears behind the large denomination text 'CENT FRANCS'. The municipal arms of Lille — a shield charged with a fleur-de-lys, surmounted by a crown — appear on a cartouche at centre-bottom, flanked by laurel and floral sprays, with signature lines for the Receveur Municipal and the Maire below. |
|---|---|
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| Protection type | Dry stamp (embossed seal) |
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| Comments |
Lille spent most of World War One under German occupation — from October 1914 until liberation in October 1918. Cut off from the national banking system, the municipal government was forced to issue its own emergency fractional and higher-denomination notes to keep local commerce functioning. This 100 Franc piece, printed by L. Danel in the occupied city itself, is a direct product of that administrative isolation.
Printing under occupation carries its own complications: paper supply, ink, and distribution were all subject to German military authority. That L. Danel continued operating and produced municipally-sanctioned currency during this period makes these notes unusual among French emergency issues.