Catalog
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| Issuer | Ville de Rouen et Chambre de Commerce de Rouen |
|---|---|
| Year | 1915 |
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| Size | 116 x 77 mm |
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| Obverse description | Red letterpress on cream paper with an ornate foliate guilloche border framing the entire design. At centre top, the arms of Rouen surmounted by an eagle are flanked by the dual issuing authority legends; the denomination DEUX FRANCS is printed in large bold type at centre, with the date 1915 within a rectangular cartouche below. Two circular guilloche medallions to the left and right carry the approval and guarantee inscriptions respectively, and spaces for the Mayor's and President's manuscript signatures appear at lower left and right. |
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| Obverse lettering | VILLE DE ROUEN CHAMBRE DE COMMERCE DE ROUEN Emission approuvée par l'Administration Supérieure DEUX FRANCS Emission faite sous la garantie de la Ville et de la Chambre de Commerce. Le Maire, 1915 No Le Président, |
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| Comments |
During the early months of the First World War, the acute shortage of small change across France prompted hundreds of municipalities and chambers of commerce to issue their own emergency paper money. Rouen's joint issue — unusual in that it bears the authority of both the city administration and the chamber of commerce simultaneously — was part of that wave. The dual-authority arrangement was a practical hedge: it distributed legal and financial responsibility between two bodies rather than leaving either to bear it alone.
Imprimerie Richard, a Paris-based commercial printer, handled the work. Rouen's series ran to several denominations, and JP#110.13 sits among the more commonly encountered of the surviving pieces.