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2 Francs - Ville et Chambre de Commerce de Rouen 1915
| Issuer | Ville de Rouen et Chambre de Commerce de Rouen |
|---|---|
| Year | 1915 |
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| Currency | Franc (1795-1959) |
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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. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Plain cream paper printed entirely in black with seven numbered articles of legal text governing the conditions of issue and redemption of the bons divisionnaires, set in a Roman typeface. A final note in italic records the deliberations of the Municipal Council and the Chambre de Commerce dated 17 August 1914, and a partially visible serial number is overprinted in the lower portion of the text. |
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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.