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2 Francs - Chambre de Commerce d'Agen [47]
| Issuer | Chambre de Commerce d'Agen |
|---|---|
| Year | 1917 |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Printed in violet and olive-green on cream paper, the back is enclosed within an ornate typographic border incorporating beehive vignettes at the upper corners and floral scrollwork at the lower corners, with the date '14 JUIN 1917' repeated in cartouches at both the top and bottom margins. The central field carries the bold heading 'REMBOURSABLE AU TRÉSOR PUBLIC' above a block of typeset text detailing redemption conditions, the note's acceptability at public cashiers throughout the Lot-et-Garonne department, and the statutory counterfeiting warning under Article 139 of the Penal Code. |
| Reverse lettering | 14 JUIN 1917 REMBOURSABLE AU TRÉSOR PUBLIC Ce billet, dont la contre-valeur est déposée au Trésor Public, devra être présenté au remboursement dans un délai de cinq ans, à dater du jour de l'émission. Il sera reçu par les Caisses publiques dans le département de Lot-et-Garonne. L'article 139 du Code pénal punit des travaux forcés à perpétuité ceux qui auront contrefait ou falsifié les billets. 14 JUIN 1917 |
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| Comments |
Agen's Chamber of Commerce issued this 2-franc note in 1917 under the emergency authorization extended to French provincial commercial bodies when the wartime coin shortage became acute. The Ministry of Finance's 1914 circular had permitted Chambres de Commerce to emit low-denomination paper as substitute coinage, and by 1917 the system was well-established — hundreds of distinct local issues were circulating simultaneously across France, each redeemable only within its issuing department.
The Lot-et-Garonne series is catalogued under JP#2 within the Pirot classification. The watermark is one of the few security concessions made at this denomination; higher-value emergency notes from the period often relied on little more than serial numbering.