Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
2 Francs Ville et Chambre de Commerce du Havre [76]
| Issuer | Ville du Havre et Chambre de Commerce du Havre |
|---|---|
| Year | 1917 |
| Type | Emergency banknote |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | VILLE DU HAVRE ET CHAMBRE DE COMMERCE DU HAVRE Émission approuvée par l'Administration supérieure DEUX FRANCS Échangeable contre des Billets de la Banque de France Le Président de la Chambre de Commerce (signature) Le Maire de la Ville du Havre (signature) 1917 ÉMISSION DE REMPLACEMENT N° 303144 |
| Reverse description | Printed in black on plain buff paper, the reverse bears a block of continuous French legal text setting out the redemption conditions for notes still in circulation, with a large red numeral 2 and the letters Fs overprinted at centre as a denomination underprint. A mirror-image series reference SEA 4625 appears in black at upper left, and a purple control stamp is visible at upper right; a manuscript annotation appears at the lower left. |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | Log in to see details |
| Variants | Log in to see details |
| Comments |
Le Havre's chamber of commerce began issuing its own fractional emergency notes in 1914 when the French government's wartime requisitioning of coin — particularly silver and bronze — stripped the local port economy of the small change it needed to function. By 1917, the series had expanded to cover denominations up to 2 Francs, an unusually large value for chambres de commerce issues, most of which stopped at 1 Franc or below. The decision reflected the severe metallic currency shortage gripping a port city under enormous military and logistical pressure.
The watermark is the primary security feature, locally sourced paper being a practical choice for an issue printed within the city itself rather than contracted to a national printer.