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2 Francs - Ville de Metz 57
| Issuer | Ville de Metz (Municipality of Metz) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1918 |
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| Value | 2 Francs |
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| Obverse description | Yellow and cream note with a fine guilloche underprint repeating the text 'VILLE DE METZ' across the entire field. The city's heraldic shield, surmounted by a mural crown, is centered at the top between the inscription 'RÉPUBLIQUE FRANÇAISE'. The denomination 'DEUX FRANCS' appears in white lettering within a large oval purple cartouche set against an elaborate yellow floral and scroll vignette occupying the central register. Two manuscript signature lines at the lower left and right are captioned 'Le Maire' and 'Le Receveur Municipal' respectively, with the serial number centered between them. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse lettering | 2 Tous les bons de la Ville de Metz sont échangeables contre des billets de la Banque de France jusqu'au 31 Décembre 1920. Le remboursement ultérieur n'en pourra plus être exigé. 27 Décembre 1918. (Translation: 2 All bonds of the City of Metz are exchangeable for Banque de France notes up to 31 December 1920. No further reimbursement may be demanded thereafter. 27 December 1918.) |
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| Comments |
Metz in 1918 occupied a peculiar administrative limbo: legally German since the annexation of 1871, but militarily back under French control by the Armistice of November 11th. This municipal emergency note sits precisely in that transition — issued by a city that had spent nearly five decades as German Metz (Metz, Lothringen) and was scrambling to function financially as French forces moved in and German currency became suddenly unwanted.
Berger-Levrault, the Nancy printer, had deep roots in Alsace-Lorraine publishing and was a logical choice for a newly re-French municipal authority needing documents fast. The watermarked paper was one of the few security gestures available at short notice for a town not yet integrated into the French banking system.