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2 Francs
| Issuer | Banque Rouennaise |
|---|---|
| Year | 1871 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Franc (1795-2001) |
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| Obverse description | The obverse is printed on paper with an overall fine guilloche underprint pattern covering the entire field. The bank title 'BANQUE ROUENNAISE' appears at upper centre, followed by the subtitle 'DE BONS DIVISIONNA...' (Bons Divisionnaires). A left vertical panel carries the inscription 'CAISSE DE REMBOURSEMENT / Rue Jeanne d'Arc 4'. The denomination 'DEUX FRANC...' is set in bold letterpress at centre, with a manuscript serial number above. Two signature lines are present for 'Le Directeur Caissier' and 'Un Admini...' (Un Administrateur), followed by a 'Vu pour légalisation' endorsement with a manuscript countersignature and an official ink stamp at left. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | BANQUE ROUENNAISE DE BONS DIVISIONNAIRES CAISSE DE REMBOURSEMENT Rue Jeanne d'Arc 4 DEUX FRANCS Le Directeur Caissier Vu pour légalisation ART. 5 – Tout porteur de Bons de circulation pourra en exiger le remboursement à vue en Billets de Banque, lorsqu'il en présentera pour au moins cent francs. |
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| Comments |
The Banque Rouennaise was one of several regional commercial banks that issued emergency small-denomination notes during and immediately after the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, when coin disappeared from circulation almost entirely as the public hoarded metal. The 2 Francs denomination addressed a genuine gap — the Banque de France's wartime issues did not reach down this far, and small transactions had become genuinely difficult to conduct.
These regional emergency notes were formally tolerated rather than sanctioned, and most were called in and destroyed once the monetary situation stabilized in the mid-1870s. Surviving examples are correspondingly scarce.